


until the night turns into morning you’ll be in my arms

by cloudstifa (nytifagrl)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Daichi goes to NYC to study abroad and gets Kuroo as his roommate, Dorks in Love, Fluff, Fluff fluff and more fluff, Getting Together, Kozume Kenma is So Done, Kuroo is a celebrity in Japan but Daichi doesn't recognize him, Kuroo just wants a life of normalcy, M/M, New York City, Oblivious Sawamura Daichi, Sugawara Koushi is a Good Friend, Terushima Yuuji is in chapter 6 briefly, Tiny sliver of Bokuaka in the epilogue as well as Asahi and Akaashi cameos, Volleyball Dorks in Love, bokuto is only around a little bit starting in chapter 4, morning runs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28056273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nytifagrl/pseuds/cloudstifa
Summary: Two Japanese exchange students become roommates in New York City. The genuine, kind, and pure-hearted Sawamura Daichi and Kuroo Tetsurou, a famous actor who just wants to live a life of normalcy for a bit. Daichi, dense and oblivious as he is, does not recognize Kuroo and thus their story begins...
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi
Comments: 52
Kudos: 132





	1. concrete jungle where dreams are made of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the inspiration to write this from a few stories about Miura Haruma's time studying abroad in London (from his Chinese roommate at the time). The stories came out after the actor's passing earlier this year. Rest in Peace, Miura Haruma.
> 
> I've set this story in NYC instead of London, as I was born/raised in New York and miss it dearly.
> 
> Thank you to @Peachyfizz for directing me to the stories that served as my inspo, and for the support!
> 
> First chapter might be a bit slow as it has a bit of background and setting of the stage. Kenma and Suga are side characters via text messaging. Text messages are in chronological order by time. Since Japan is 13-14 hours ahead of NYC (depending on pre/post daylight savings time- I hate daylight savings time lol), the times show the respective time in the texter's time zone.
> 
> I am not very confident in my writing but I had such a strong urge to write this and share. Please be kind! My goal is to have it completed within a month if all goes well.

**September**

A shrill ringing sounded from across the room. Daichi slowly staggered up over to his phone and shut off his alarm. Shaking off his sleep haze, he changed into workout gear, brushed his teeth, and grabbed a banana from the kitchen. With his running shoes on and some pep in his step, he exited the apartment complex and headed for the nearest park for his daily morning jog.

It was a beautiful day, summer soon turning into autumn, and blessedly not too hot at that hour in the morning. Slowing his breathing and his steps, he spent a few minutes with the ducks he saw every morning at the pond.

A mated pair of ducks came over close to him, exploring the grassy areas by his feet. A few others were preening themselves nearby, with a larger group slowly gliding across the calm waters of the pond. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he said to them, before heading back to his humble abode. When he got back, there was a person standing outside his door.

It was his landlord.

“Oh hello, Daichi. I’m happy I caught you this morning. You’re going to have a roommate starting today! He is also a young Japanese man doing a study abroad program, and should be here sometime this afternoon. Please let me know if you two need anything.”

“Absolutely. Thank you,” Daichi said politely. After wishing each other a good day, his landlord turned to leave and Daichi stepped into his apartment. He did a quick once-over - it was pretty clean, he cleaned it every week - it should be in a good condition for when his new roommate (a roommate!!) arrived.

In his post-endorphin cloud, he took a shower, wondering what this new roommate would be like. He dressed, had cereal for breakfast, and grabbed some snacks and his backpack to head out to a full day of classes.

Last year, while studying at Tokyo University, Sawamura Daichi had applied to a year-long study abroad program in New York City on a whim - and got it. His parents had been nervous but he assured them that it would be no different from living in Tokyo.

In some ways, he was right - big city, tons of people, good public transportation - but in other ways he felt like a fish out of water. His English was quite good by Japanese standards, but in New York everyone spoke quickly and there were many different intonations and accents to get used to. His vocabulary was rapidly increasing by the day, which was rewarding but also really tiring. He had been in the city for just over a week and hadn’t really made any friends yet. He wasn’t too worried though. It still felt like an adjustment period due to the fast-paced nature of the city and school, and he had his close friends from home that he messaged regularly. His thoughts slipped to his new roommate - he was excited to have someone to be able to speak Japanese with comfortably in the same time zone, and hoped they would get along.

~~~~~~

After his long day of classes, Daichi was more than exhausted - all he wanted to do was drop onto the couch with a movie playing in the background or listen to some oldies. He had always felt a pull towards American oldies music and American entertainment; his love of American movies was how he had developed his competency in a second language.

He noticed the lights on in the apartment and remembered his new roommate must have arrived. He unlocked the door and stepped in.

His roommate was standing in the kitchen, looking out the window. He was tall, dark-haired, and dressed in clothes that looked nicer than anything Daichi had in his own closet. He also had quite the case of bedhead, which was quite the juxtaposition paired with a crisp button-down shirt and snug fitting dark-wash jeans. _Did he just wake from a nap? But his clothes looked immaculate?_ The stranger turned from the sound of the door opening and their eyes met. “Oh… you must be my roommate,” said the newcomer. “Hello.”

Daichi felt his mouth run dry. Not only was his roommate handsome, the fact that he was associating the word “handsome” to his new roommate was both shocking and awkward. Fists clenched at his sides, this tall handsome roommate might’ve been nervous waiting for him. Daichi willed his vocal cords to work properly.

“Hi, my name is Sawamura Daichi. I hope you had a good flight in. The landlord let me know that you were coming this morning. And you are…?”

Something flitted across his roommate’s eyes in a flash so quickly that Daichi must’ve imagined it. “So nice to meet you, Sawamura-san.” He smiled widely. “I’m Tetsurou, please call me Tetsu.” He stepped forward to offer his hand.

Daichi took his hand in a handshake. He smelled a faint whiff of cologne and something indescribable - but even better - underneath it. “Oh, you can call me Daichi. Or just Sawamura. Sawamura-san is how people refer to my dad.”

“Okay. Sa~wa~mu~ra,” Tetsu tested out.

“I hope you’re not too jet lagged.”

As if on cue, Tetsu yawned. The flight had been pretty brutal, but he wanted to stay up a few more hours to try to adjust time zones quicker.

To commemorate his roommate’s arrival, Daichi suggested they order in some famous New York pizza for dinner.

They agreed on some pizza toppings, Daichi pulled his phone out to call the order in, and Tetsu retreated to his room to change into something more comfortable.

~~~~~~

Shutting his bedroom door, Kuroo Tetsouro leaned against the door and let out a huge sigh of relief. He began rummaging through his belongings looking for a simple t-shirt and sweatpants.

He had always wanted to continue his studies, but being a decently popular actor in Japan made it difficult to attend university there. After middle school, he had tutors that worked around his filming schedule, but he missed being around other people his age and learning in a group setting. He was hoping for a fresh start, or to at least be more anonymous in New York than he could realistically be at home.

Originally, he was supposed to be living alone in New York. So when he had heard from his manager that they found him housing in New York with a fellow Japanese boy, he was immediately nervous. He didn’t want his anonymity blown on his very first day in the city, at the place that was supposed to be his home for the next two semesters.

But then his roommate ended up being one Sawamura Daichi. When Kuroo first arrived at the apartment, he browsed the collection of DVDs and CDs on the rack of the common room. He was quite interested to see that his roommate seemed to be very into American entertainment. The only hint of anything Japanese in the apartment was some kitchen spices, cookware, and the volleyball posters in his bedroom. Kuroo had hoped that he might have a roommate who would be discreet, who wouldn’t make a huge fuss about his career and ask a million questions. What he got was better than anything he had ever hoped - it seemed like Sawamura really, truly didn’t recognize him.

He thought back at Sawamura’s smile when they introduced themselves, of his deep brown eyes, of his warm, strong grip when they shook hands, and felt his cheeks warm.

A knock sounded at his door. “Tetsu! Pizza’s on the way. It should be here in about 15 minutes.”

“I’ll be right out!” Kuroo found what he was looking for and started changing.

***

[6:17 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
met my roommate

[6:17 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
he didn’t recognize me :)

[7:20 PM JST] Kenma:  
you must be happy

[6:21 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
i am SO RELIEVED

[6:21 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
he’s also really cute

[6:22 PM EDT] Kuroo:   
not that that means anything

[6:22 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
he has a super deep voice and smells good too

[6:22 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
not that that matters!!!

[6:23 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
but i couldn’t help noticing that the apartment smelled really nice when i arrived

[6:24 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
anyway it’s cool to have a guy who speaks Japanese here with me who seems real nice as my roommate

[6:24 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
and it’s just really nice he didn’t make a huge deal because he doesn’t know who I am :)

[6:25 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
i’m saying weird things. just ignore me.

[6:25 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
i’m so tired and jetlagged

[6:27 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
kenma?

[7:35 PM JST] Kenma:   
hang on, in the middle of a boss fight

[7:55PM JST] Kenma:  
i’m happy for you kuro

[7:55 PM JST] Kenma:  
keep me posted. good luck in the big city

~~~~~~

Dinner was a delicious affair. There really was nothing quite like authentic New York pizza.

“So I see you’re into volleyball? Did you play in high school?” Tetsu asked between mouthfuls of cheese pizza.

Daichi’s eyes lit up. “Yes! You too? I played as wing spiker but my specialty is in defense.”

Tetsu gave a lopsided smile. “I played back in middle school. I really enjoyed it. I was a middle blocker.”

“I bet you were, with your height. Were you even tall in middle school?” Daichi wondered, pulling some crust off of his slice of pizza to eat first.

“I guess I’ve always been tall for my age. Think there’s anywhere we could play volleyball around here? Might be hard though to get enough people.”

“I haven’t checked, but that would be cool sometime, even if it were just the two of us.”

They fell quiet as they went back to their pizza slices. “Hey, were you also team captain or vice captain of your high school volleyball team?” Tetsu asked after a swig of sparkling water.

Daichi’s eyes grew wide. “I _was_ team captain in my senior year. How did you know?”

Tetsu shrugged. “You give off a captain vibe… you seem very reliable.” He grinned. “This pizza is amazing by the way.”

To that, Daichi laughed. “Isn’t it?? So, what are you coming here to study, Tetsu? How good is your English?”

Tetsu switched to English. “I’m fairly confident, what about you?”

“Ooooooh,” Daichi teased. Switching himself, “I’m okay with English. Probably not as quite as comfortable as you.” Going back to Japanese, “So what are you here to study? I’m studying biology, because I want an eventual career in sports medicine. I’ve been thinking about becoming a physical therapist.” He took another bite of pizza.

“Biology huh? I’ve got a pretty terrible memory so I was never all that good at biology. But like you, I’m here to study science, in particular chemistry. I might also take an engineering class to see if I’d prefer chemical engineering to the straight science.”

From there, the conversation naturally ebbed and flowed. Daichi caught Tetsu up to speed on his coursework, on his daily routines, and they talked about splitting up household chores and buying groceries.

Tetsu started nodding off at the dinner table as they were finishing up. Daichi nudged his shoulder gently. “Hey… I’m happy to clean up. Why don’t you go to bed first?”

Tetsu looked at the clock and groaned. “I had hoped I would be able to stay up a little longer but… that sounds like a good idea. Thanks Sawamura. Good night!” He got up groggily and headed for his bedroom.

Daichi looked after his retreating form. Embarrassingly, he realized that he might have been more deprived of human contact than he had thought. He couldn’t get Tetsu’s smile, his mussed up hair, or the timber of his voice out of his mind. He shook his head and continued cleaning the table.

***

[9:08 PM ESD] Daichi:  
Got a new roommate today :)

[10:10 AM JST] Suga:  
tell me more

[9:12 PM EDT] Daichi:  
He seems really cool.

[9:13 PM EDT] Daichi:  
He’s a Japanese exchange student.

[9:13 PM EDT] Daichi:  
He used to play volleyball too!

[9:13 PM EDT] Daichi:  
He said he was a middle blocker. He’s really tall.

[9:15 PM EDT] Daichi:  
He’s also really good looking, he could be a model.

[10:18 AM JST] Suga:  
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[9:20 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Stop it Suga.

[10:21 AM JST] Suga:  
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[9:20 PM EDT] Daichi:  
No but in all seriousness he seems really nice and down to earth.

[10:22 AM JST] Suga:  
i cant pay attention in class bc im so happy for you

[10:23 AM JST] Suga:  
i was afraid you’d be lonely there

[10:23 AM JST] Suga:  
keep me posted okay? and i wanna see a picture

~~~~~~

The next morning, Daichi awoke before his alarm went off, to what sounded like some voices in the hallway.

He checked the time. His alarm was set to go off in just 15 minutes anyway, so he got dressed into workout clothes and ventured into the kitchen for a banana. He noticed the door to the apartment propped open by Tetsu’s foot. Tetsu was out in the hallway talking in a quiet voice with a man dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks.

Tetsu turned from the noise. “Oh, good morning Sawamura!”

“Good morning Tetsu. You’re up early,” Daichi replied easily, taking a bite of his banana.

Tetsu scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, I woke up at 4AM and couldn’t go back to sleep. I’ve been playing games on my phone and reading.” He gestured at Daichi’s clothes. “Are you going to work out now?”

“Yep, I’m going for a run around the park a few blocks over. Wanna come?”

Tetsu looked over at the other man in the hallway who was typing voraciously into his phone, and back at Daichi. “I’ll take you up on that offer tomorrow? Just talking to someone from work from back home. I’ll explain more later.”

“Sure, no worries!” Daichi finished his banana, threw the peel into the compost bin, and pulled his running shoes on.

Exiting the apartment, he said goodbye to Tetsu, nodded at the man in the hallway, and headed off.

~~~~~~

“You told him to call you Tetsu?” Kuroo’s manager asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yeah, don’t screw this up for me dude. He doesn’t know who I am, and I’d like to keep it that way.” Kuroo replied, looking off in the direction Sawamura had gone off in.

“HE DIDN’T RECOGNIZE YOU?” now he was incredulous.

“YES. Is that so hard to believe? Anyway why are you here in person… you know you can call or text me instead of flying across the world. What do you want?”

His manager told Kuroo that the agency who wasn’t very happy that about his decision to come to New York to study rather than continuing to audition for new roles. “If you stop now, the populace is going to forget about you” was the agency’s opinion. Kuroo didn’t think that would be the case, but even if so, he had always wanted to have other options other than acting.

He had hoped that New York would be enough of a popular, busy place (wasn’t it always said that people pass each other on the streets not even really looking at the people they are passing?) that he would have a chance at normalcy and anonymity. By a stroke of luck, his own roommate who was Japanese didn’t recognize him. He thought that was a sign from the ethers that this was a good decision.

His manager didn’t look so sure. “Well… okay, just listen. You know I support you and what you love. They wanted me to come bring you home, but we’ve been in this together from the beginning, right? I’ll head back to Japan and we can keep in contact electronically or by video chat. At the least though, you need to promise me that you’ll make sure your roommate does not post any photos of you on social media. Otherwise, fans will see you in them and they WILL FIND YOU. If you’re not going to tell him, I will.”

Kuroo groaned. Of course he hadn’t thought of that. He promised to talk to Sawamura later that evening.

***

[9:25 AM ESD] Kuroo:  
well my manager came to visit today

[9:26 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
said i have to ask my roomie not to upload any photos of me on social media

[9:26 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
so i guess the gig is up

[9:27 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
at least i got one day of anonymity T_T

[10:30 PM JST] Kenma:  
it’s probably for the best

[10:30 PM JST] Kenma:  
he would’ve found out eventually

[9:31 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
i know, it’s just…

[9:32 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
never mind

~~~~~~

Daichi came back from studying at the library after class to find his roommate on the couch, nose buried in a book. “Hey, I’m going to make some pasta and meatballs for dinner, does that sound okay?”

Tetsu looked up, surprised. “Of course, do you want any help?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’re still jet lagged.” Daichi dropped his backpack, rolled up his sleeves, and walked over to the kitchen.

He started gathering all of the ingredients for the tomato sauce first. “Ideally we’d want this to cook a little longer than we have, but I’ll just make extra so it’ll taste even better tomorrow or the day after,” he said over the table between the kitchen and living space.

Tetsu ventured over to the edge of the kitchen, watching Daichi as he methodically worked. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, the taller boy took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “So, I wanted to ask you something. Sorry if this is weird…”

Daichi looked up from chopping an onion. “What’s up?”

“So… that guy you saw me talking to this morning, I told you he’s from work. Truth is, he’s from the agency I work with back home. This is kind of random, I know, but due to privacy reasons, he just wanted me to ask you to not post any photos of me on social media…” his voice trailed off, and his gaze fell.

“Social media?” Daichi laughed. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I am so useless when it comes to technology. Suga - that’s my best friend - is always making fun of me, calling me a dinosaur. The only reason why I even have a Facebook account is because he created one for me. Speaking of which… I don’t think I remember my password.”

Tetsu's eyes found their way back to Daichi.

“He also created an Instagram account for me because he wanted me to follow him and everyone on our high school volleyball team. I go on there sometimes, usually when they tell me to, but I’ve never posted anything,” Daichi continued. He went back to chopping.

Tetsu started snickering. “No kidding, I… I guess you continue to surprise me, Sa’amura.”

“Agency huh,” Daichi mused. “Yeah I figured, with how you were dressed when I came back to the apartment. I had wondered if you were a model. Your secret is safe with me.” Daichi grinned and reached his fist out.

Tetsu smiled back and bumped Daichi’s fist with his own.

***

[10:15 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Sooo, remember how I said my roommate was so handsome he could be a model?

[11:16 AM JST] Suga:  
yes

[10:16 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Well, he is. A model I mean.

[11:16 AM JST] Suga:  
WHAT

[11:17 AM JST] Suga:  
(゜Д゜;)

[10:17 PM EDT] Daichi:  
He told me today that his agency doesn’t want photos of him uploaded to social media.

[10:18 PM EDT] Daichi:  
And before you ask I’m not going to pry into his business… we just met after all.

[11:19 AM JST] Suga:  
aww you’re no fun daichi

[11:20 AM JST] Suga:  
just get me a picture and ill be satisfied

[11:22 AM JST] Suga:  
will you send me a picture if i promise to never send it to anyone else or upload it to social media?

~~~~~~

[10:35 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
good news

[10:35 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
he thinks i’m a model

[11:37 AM JST] Kenma:  
you didn’t correct him

[11:37 AM JST] Kenma:  
?

[11:45 AM JST] Kenma:  
kuro…

[10:48 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
i just wanna keep my anonymity for a little while longer

[10:49 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
i will tell him soon

~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic title from Ed Sheeran's "New York"  
> Chapter 1 title from Jay-Z & Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind"
> 
> (You probably noticed that POV is mostly from Daichi's perspective but a little from Kuroo's will be thrown in. Since Daichi is calling Kuroo "Tetsu," the parts that are from Kuroo's perspective will refer to him as Kuroo.)  
>    
> Fun facts:  
> *Miura Haruma's roommate didn't recognize him, and so he told him to "call him Haru"  
> *The roommate assumed Miura Haruma was a model from his good looks
> 
> In the next chapter:  
> Kuroo and Daichi become closer and start exploring NYC destinations


	2. magic in the air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Daichi get closer and start exploring some awesome NYC landmarks... might they also start to have some feelings deep down?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired to write a bunch yesterday so here is chapter 2 earlier than I expected! I also wanted to publish more sooner... because I felt like our boys didn't get enough interaction in chapter 1. ^^ Thanks to everyone who left kudos or a comment, I really appreciate the support! stay safe and take care!

Over the next few weeks, the two roommates became increasingly more comfortable with each other. They ate dinner together most nights, with Daichi doing the majority of the home cooking. In return, Tetsu treated Daichi out to restaurant meals once or so a week.

Both enjoyed studying noise in the background, so they would often be found watching movies or the television together through the night. Sometimes while working on their homework, sometimes just laying on the couch watching, commentating, laughing together.

Daichi continued with his morning runs. Tetsu accompanied him a few times a week. He introduced Tetsu to the ducks at the pond. Tetsu knocked him on the shoulder playfully and chuckled - but seemed to want to linger even longer than Daichi following their runs. And if Daichi’s shoulder tingled a little longer than normal, he didn’t dwell on it.

The days were busy and they were in an unfamiliar city, but home life was comfortable. Daichi no longer felt lonely. Tetsu filled the holes in his life and was his best friend in New York.

~~~~~~

“Want to go downtown and check out Strand today?” Sawamura asked Kuroo one morning at breakfast.

“Sure,” Kuroo replied. He took a bite of his eggs.

“I can spend a whole day in bookstores,” Sawamura admitted.

“Me too. It’s going to be really fun to explore,” Kuroo grinned. “I’m surprised we haven’t been there yet with how much we’ve both been wanting to go.”

The bookstore was even bigger and better than they had expected. The smell of old books lingered in the air. The two boys reluctantly left after a few hours when their stomachs started protesting, but not until they each bought a few books and an iconic Strand reusable bag.

They headed down to the famous Katz’s deli, took a photo of the sign showing where Harry and Sally sat, and ordered pastrami sandwiches and potato latkes.

“Are we really supposed to eat the sandwich like this?” Sawamura asked Kuroo. The famous sandwich wasn’t quite a mile high but it had 20+ slices of meat in between two normal sized slices of bread. Plus Sawamura had ordered mustard on his so it looked even more precarious to eat.

Kuroo laughed. “You should try.”

Lifting the sandwich up, the shorter boy was able to manage a bite of bread, pastrami and mustard, but not without casualties. With mustard dripping down his chin and half of the meat falling off of the bread, Kuroo was unable to stifle it anymore and burst out into laughter.

Sheepishly, Sawamura grabbed the napkin off his tray and wiped around his mouth, but not before Kuroo took a photo with his phone. “Wh-what are you doing??? And why don’t they give us more napkins?!” grumbling, Sawamura rose from his seat in search of more.

 _Cute,_ Kuroo thought to himself. Before he could really think about what that meant though, his hunger took over. When his roommate returned with a stack full of napkins, Kuroo had taken half of the meat out from the sandwich and was eating with no difficulties.

Sawamura sat down and simply shook his head. He started removing some of the meat from his sandwich to follow suit. As he finished chewing a mouthful of pastrami, Kuroo leaned over and swept his finger across the shorter boy’s cheekbone.

“You had some mustard on your cheek.”

The tips of Sawamura’s ears turned pink as he dabbed at his face with a fresh napkin.

***

[9:22 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
isn’t he cute

[9:22 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
*image attached*

[10:26 AM JST] Kenma:  
poor guy

[10:26 AM JST] Kenma:  
i bet you tricked him somehow

[9:28 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
did not

[9:29 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
why do you always have such little faith in me

[10:30 AM JST] Kenma:  
because i know you kuro

[9:31 PM EST] Kuroo:  
the food was soooo good

[9:31 PM EST] Kuroo:  
and huge

[9:32 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
daichi’s reaction to the messy food was even better though

[9:32 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
it was really cute

[9:32 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
utterly adorable

~~~~~~

“So, what’s for dinner tonight?” Tetsu emerged from his bedroom.

Daichi paused from typing an e-mail on his laptop on the couch. “Up to you. Do you want to stay in, eat out, or order in?”

Hmm… let’s eat out, my treat! Let’s go to the East Village if that’s okay with you?”

“Of course! Maybe around 6?”

Tetsu agreed and retreated to his room to make a phone call.

A little after six, they headed over to the East Village.

“I know we were just in the neighborhood when we went to Strand, but I really wanted to take you here,” Tetsu said. They rounded the corner.

“No way. Ippudo? But the line is always SO long!” Daichi cried. “That’s why we didn’t wait last time.”

“Don’t worry, I called in a special favor.”

Daichi waited outside while Tetsu went in to check on the reservation. Ippudo doesn’t normally take reservations, so Daichi assumed he was using was one of his special agency connections. True to Tetsu’s word, after a few words with the gentleman behind the counter, they gestured at Daichi to come inside. The roommates were led back to a private table, the host smiling broadly at them as he left. “Please enjoy your dinner. Let us know if there is anything we can do to make your experience better.”

When he left, Daichi whistled. “Wow Tetsu. Your connections really are something else.”

“I only use them when it’s a matter of utmost importance - like bringing my fabulous roommate to one of the best ramen restaurants in New York City,” he shot back with a wink and sly smile. “Now you can finally have some good shoyu ramen before your big test later this week. I know you’ve missed it.”

***

Kuroo was happy he had chosen Ippudo. He originally thought of taking his roommate to a different ramen restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen but then he read that they were famous for their chicken-based broth, and noticed that shoyu ramen was noticeably absent from the menu. He settled on Ippudo where Sawamura could get his favorite, and was also promised by the restaurant manager that his identity would be kept on the down-low. It was a win-win arrangement.

The ramen, as expected, was delicious. But what he enjoyed even more than the ramen was watching Sawamura savor his meal. Ippudo actually encourages the patrons to slurp their ramen (usually a big no-no in America, but absolute tradition in Japan). Watching Sawamura slurp the ramen and broth, with an ear-to-ear smile on his face, left an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Your ramen’s going to get cold,” his roommate commented, looking up at him.

“It’s more fun watching you eat,” he teased. “Plus, I’m not that hungry.”

“You’re always hungry!” Sawamura shook his head and resumed eating, but couldn’t hide the happiness radiating off of him. “This is amazing shoyu ramen, thanks again Tetsu.”

~~~~~~

**October**

Summer turned to fall and beautiful fall leaves filled the streets of New York City.

~~~~~~

[8:38 AM EDT] Daichi:  
He called me Daichi this morning when we went running together. :O

[9:39 PM JST] Suga:  
(*ﾟ∀ﾟ*)

[9:39 PM JST] Suga:  
and???

[8:40 AM EDT] Daichi:  
And nothing.

[8:40 AM EDT] Daichi:  
I don’t know why I told you.

[9:41 PM JST] Suga:  
aww daichi come on

[8:43 AM EDT] Daichi:  
He’s so good looking that he often gets noticed by people.

[8:43 AM EDT] Daichi:  
But he wears a hat and sunglasses when we run so that we don’t get bothered.

[8:44 AM EDT] Daichi:  
He wears it when we go out too but i guess his looks still pierce through.

[9:45 PM JST] Suga:  
aww daichi are you jealousssss

[9:50 PM JST] Suga:  
so how’s life in the big city

[8:51 AM EDT] Daichi:  
It’s good :) I’ve been feeling less lonely now with him here.

[8:51 AM EDT] Daichi:  
It feels like I’ve known him for years. He’s really a great person.

[8:52 AM EDT] Daichi:  
Sometimes I get nervous around him though.

[8:52 AM EDT] Daichi:  
It must be because he’s so handsome that my subconscious is self-conscious.

[8:52 AM EDT] Daichi:  
And like I forget because we’re good friends you know?

[8:53 AM EDT] Daichi:  
But then I look at him and am reminded of how gorgeous he is.

[8:53 AM EDT] Daichi:  
He also smells really good.

[8:55 AM EDT] Daichi:  
I don’t mean that in a weird way. But sometimes when we get home, my clothes smell a little like him.

[8:56 AM EDT] Daichi:  
And obviously the apartment smells like both of us which is normal.

[9:56 PM JST] Suga:  
mmmmm

[8:56 AM EDT] Daichi:  
Anyway, school is busy but the city really never sleeps. It’s a neat experience.

[9:58 PM JST] Suga:  
i hope i can still come visit sometime before you come back???

[8:58 AM EDT] Daichi:  
Me too.

[9:59 PM JST] Suga:  
i really want to meet this guy too

[10:00 PM JST] Suga:  
althooooooo i can’t believe i still haven’t seen ONE picture of this CUTE MODEL ROOMMATE OF YOURS

[9:01 AM EDT] Daichi:  
It feels creepy to take photos of your roommate?

[10:02 PM JST] Suga:  
just do it

[10:02 PM JST] Suga:  
preferably soon because i am dying of curiosity

[10:17 PM JST] Suga:  
daichi… do you have feelings for him?

~~~~~~

[8:40 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
i accidentally called him daichi

[8:40 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
but i’m gonna roll with it

[8:41 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
he did say i could call him daichi when we met

[8:41 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
i was just being polite and calling him sawamura this whole time

[8:42 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
even though i thought of him as daichi in private

[8:43 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
so obviously it just slipped out lol

[9:45 PM JST] Kenma:  
hmm

[8:45 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
hmm???

[8:46 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
we go running together in the mornings sometimes

[8:47 AM EDT] Kuroo:   
i love it here

[8:48 AM EDT] Kuroo:   
i can go run and not be stopped by people for my photo

[8:49 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
he’s so adorable tho, he introduced me to these ducks at the park

[8:50 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
says that he hangs out with them after his runs

[8:51 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
there’s one we see all the time

[8:51 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
we call him Prince Waddle

[8:52 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
isn’t that cute kenma???

[9:56 PM JST] Kenma:  
v cute

[8:57 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
idk i have just never met anyone like him

[8:57 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
he’s so earnest and a genuinely good person

[8:58 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
and he smells so good

[8:58 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
i mean of course you notice how people smell when you live with them

[8:58 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
but he smells like really good all the time

[10:03 PM JST] Kenma:  
sounds like you have a thing for your roommate

[9:03 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
what? nooooooo

[9:03 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
we’re just really good friends

[9:03 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
and roommates

[9:03 AM EDT] Kuroo:  
obviously

[10:07 PM JST] Kenma:   
ok

[10:07 PM JST] Kenma:   
be careful kuro

~~~~~~

It was a Saturday and both boys had slept in after a busy week of classes. At breakfast, Tetsu had looked more excited than normal.

“Hey, Daichi. We didn’t have any plans today, right? Did you want to walk around Central Park? I think it’ll look really beautiful with the autumn leaves.”

Daichi agreed. After breakfast they changed out of their pajamas and headed out to Central Park.

On the walk to the subway station Daichi asked, “Should we get off around 59th Street and make our way up Central Park a little ways?”

Tetsu shook his head. “No, let’s get off at 72nd Street today.”

“Okay,” Daichi smiled. He wasn’t sure what Tetsu was so excited about, but maybe it was the good weather. They both were in better moods when the weather was nice.

On the way to the subway station, a group of girls came up and asked Tetsu for his photo. This happened once in a while and Daichi was unfazed by it by now. Most of the time, he ended up being the one to take their pictures! What it must be like to be tall and handsome, Daichi thought.

More amazing to him was how some folks paid so much attention to other people in the populated city. When he walked on the street himself, it often felt like he was passing a blur of people. He might not even recognize his own mother if he was going about his business rushing through the streets.

“Thanks and sorry about that again,” Tetsu jogged over and said apologetically after the girls left, pulling his hat down a little lower.

“I guess I’ll never know what it feels like to be tall, dark and handsome,” Daichi teased, pushing any other unwanted feelings away.

“Dark and handsome describes you perfectly,” Tetsu shot back with a wink. “Too bad there’s not much you can do about the height part though.”

“Yeah, okay whatever,” he laughed. “Can I ask you a question though? How is it that when you take your hat off even after a whole day, you still have that ridiculous bedhead?”

“Oooh have you been thinking about my hair? Are you jealous or do you like the way it looks?”

“No and neither! I just thought of it when you adjusted your hat!”

They hopped on the subway continuing to joke and bicker.

They got off at the 72nd Street exit, with Tetsu leading the way. As they entered Central Park, Daichi gasped in realization. “Oh my god!! Are you taking me to Strawberry Fields?”

Tetsu grinned. “Awww… you got me. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

A small crowd had already gathered around the Strawberry Fields memorial in Central Park. A few bouquets of flowers were set down on the ground already. A lot of smartphone cameras were out capturing the moment. Daichi simply stared at the memorial in awe.

“Do you know what day it is today?” Tetsu asked after a few minutes of watching the crowd around Strawberry Fields dissipate and be replaced with newcomers.

Daichi shook his head. “No? I don’t even remember what day in October it is, the days have been passing by so fast.”

“It’s October 9th. John Lennon’s birthday,” Tetsu answered, his gaze squarely on the shorter boy.

Daichi looked up and met his roommate’s eyes. Tears prickled at the back of his eyes. “I didn’t even realize,” he took a deep breath. “Thank you so much, Tetsu.”

Tetsu rustled Daichi’s hair playfully. “You’re welcome, silly. I knew it’d be crowded here today, but I hoped you would like it.”

“I love it. Hey, can I get a picture of the memorial, with our shoes in it?”

“Our shoes? What’s the point?”

“I don’t really want to lay on the ground, but I want a part of both of us in it so…”

They waited their turn until Daichi was able to get a picture of two pairs of shoes standing under the “IMAGINE” in the center of the iconic memorial.

~~~~~~

Kuroo smiled as he excused himself to go to the restroom. Strawberry Fields had been a success. So had their long meandering around the park to check out the Alice in Wonderland statue and Bethesda Terrace. They even stopped at Lady M for some delicious layered mille crepe cakes (Daichi got the green tea and Kuroo the signature flavor).

He frowned. He knew at this point he should come clean with Daichi. In such a short amount of time, he knew that Daichi had become one of his best friends. A little voice inside him persisted. _Best friends didn’t keep secrets like this._

But Kuroo was having such a good time just being a normal person. Sure, he was sometimes stopped on the street or in restaurants for a photo, sometimes for an autograph. What surprised him the most was that the fans in New York had defied his expectations. He always asked them in a low voice to please refrain from posting the photos publicly on social media. He expected them to say “of course,” and then lie and do it anyway. But so far, there hadn’t been any complaints from his agency - no pictures leaking of him their way onto the internet without his permission - and that had been a glorious thing.

Still, he needed to tell Daichi the truth. There was no good excuse to keep prolonging it.

But then when he thought of Daichi’s eyes lighting up at Strawberry Fields, of how happy he looked at Kuroo and how he earnestly thanked him for the surprise, he wavered. He didn’t want to ruin such a perfect day. He didn’t want Daichi to stop trusting him, to stop opening up to him. He wanted to be treated like an average, normal college student, especially by his closest friend in the city.

Even so. He’d tell Daichi soon, he promised to himself. He owed him that much.

~~~~~~

[8:41 PM EDT] Daichi:  
So he took me to Strawberry Fields today. On John Lennon’s birthday. T_T

[8:41 PM EDT] Daichi:  
*image attached*

[9:42 AM JST] Suga:  
daichi when i told you to send a photo i meant of his face and/or body you know?

[9:43 AM JST] Suga:  
all i see are two pairs of shoes

[8:43 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I can’t believe he planned this and I didn’t even realize.

[8:44 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I feel very lucky T_T

[8:44 PM EDT] Daichi:  
When he does sweet things like this, I just can’t help but notice how hot he is, even with that nasty case of bedhead!

[8:45 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Which he usually keeps hidden in public but still. It always pops out when we get home.

[8:46 PM EDT] Daichi:  
But of course he’s attractive. He’s a model. Sometimes I forget because he’s so down to earth and it feels so normal with him…

[8:50 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Gotta go, he’s coming back. :)

[10:18 AM JST] Suga:  
send me a real photo next time!!!

[10:18 AM JST] Suga:  
also daichi it’s ok if you have a crush on him

[10:19 AM JST] Suga:  
are you sure today wasn’t a date?

[10:19 AM JST] Suga:  
because it totally sounds like one

~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun facts:  
> *people used to come up and ask for pictures with Miura Haruma too, and his roommate assumed he was a model... like "wow, people really take notice of a handsome guy" LOL
> 
> chapter title from John Lennon's "Dream" - seemed fitting for this chapter
> 
> somehow the date of John Lennon's birthday falling on a Saturday fits the calendar year of 2021 so I'll be using that as a baseline for what day certain dates fall on. but imagine it to be any year in modern times.
> 
> P.S. I really hammer in how good they smell to each other because one of my guy friends told me that scent is literally SO important to them... I love the idea of their smells being complimentary and desirable to each other. hopefully i am not overdoing it lol. two of my favorite things about kurodai is them loving each others' smell and them calling each other by their first names, lol. but really i have a million favorite things about kurodai ^^
> 
> in the next chapter:  
> they come to terms with their feelings, maybe? but they still have a long ways to go (♥ω♥*)


	3. taking a greyhound on the hudson river line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys visit some more attractions, finally admit their feelings to themselves... and Suga gets a photo ٩(^ᴗ^)۶

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is reading this story! It means so much to me! Happy holidays!

“Let’s explore the High Line,” Tetsu announced as they were sitting on the park bench after their morning run.

“Is that the former rail line that was recommissioned to be a public park?” Daichi asked.

“Yep, that’s the one. They have food vendors along the way and we can leave and re-enter if there’s anything that we’re interested in.”

“Sounds fun! Let’s do it this weekend.”

The following Saturday, they forewent the run since they would spend the day walking in the city. While waiting at the subway station to head to 14th St, a few teenagers came up and asked Tetsu for a photo.

Daichi, ever the good sport, took the proffered phone from them and snapped a few pictures. They spoke in quiet tones with Tetsu, laughed a little and left with a wave.

Before Tetsu could apologize as usual, Daichi cut in. “Ok Mr Popular, don’t let it get to your head.”

Taken aback, all he could do was stare at Daichi for a few seconds before he started giggling. The giggles turned into full on laughter and he bent over trying to catch his breath.

“It wasn’t that funny,” Daichi’s attempt to sound irate fell through as a smile broke out onto his face. He crossed his arms and waited for Tetsu’s laughing fit to reach its conclusion.

The High Line was beautiful.

“We picked a great time to come, with the fall colors still in full swing,” Tetsu commented, looking around one of the gardens in awe.

“We should check it out every season. I think the flowers and colors look different throughout the year. It’s prettier than it even looks in pictures.”

“Mmm,” Tetsu murmured in agreement.

A crow flew down and grabbed a morsel of food that must have been dropped by one of tourists in front of them. Just as the crow was about to fly away, a second one came to try to fight for the precious scraps.

“You know, I’ve always found crows to be fascinating,” Daichi mused.

“Oh yeah?”

“They’re so smart and adaptive, having to scavenge for food. Most people find them annoying but I’ve always thought they were really cool intelligent creatures.”

“I can get that,” Tetsu said. “I feel the same way about alley cats. Have you noticed all of the alley cats around our apartment? I always felt sad seeing them in the streets. They’re amazing to be able to survive, but I’ve always wanted to adopt one and give them a warm, loving home.”

“Too bad we can’t here since we’re only here for a year. You should adopt one when we go back to Japan.”

“Yeah… maybe one day,” Tetsu’s response was quiet.

Their shoulders brushed as they continued their walk. Daichi shivered. Why was his heart beating out of his chest? He glanced over at Tetsu through the corner of his eye. He knew Tetsu’s form well- all long legs and lean torso, the faint angles of shoulder blades peeking out from the back of his shirt that were accentuated with every step. Today he was wearing clear glasses which made him look impossibly cute. Daichi had a sudden urge to rip Tetsu’s hat off and touch that messy mop of hair; to touch, to feel, to hold; to have more than one or twopoints of contact for more than one or two seconds.

_What the hell._

When he realized he was staring at Tetsu’s lips - imagining that perpetual lopsided smirk - he forced his gaze to a tree with bright orange leaves and took a few slow breaths in an attempt to calm his (apparently) hyperactive senses. Whipping his smartphone out, he snapped a few shots. _Wow_ , he thought, _I’ll have to send this to the team chat later._ The orange leaves looked suspiciously similar to the hair color of a certain high school volleyball teammate.

His eyes naturally drifted back to his roommate who was now looking off into the distance almost wistfully. With his phone still out, Daichi’s fingers shook as he snapped a quick photo of Tetsu from the back, fall foliage and New York scenery framing his roommate’s figure.

Just then, Tetsu turned, hazel eyes catching his own, expression turning smug. “See something you like?”

“Yes, this whole park! Let’s keep going!” embarrassed, Daichi picked up the pace.

Tetsu caught up to him in a few strides and looped his arm around Daichi’s shoulders. “Where do you think you’re going??”

The shorter boy jabbed Tetsu in the side lightly but didn’t push him away. Momentarily stunned and speechless from an ill-timed huge internal revelation, he plastered a smile on his face as they continued their meander along the High Line.

***

[2:52 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Suga.

[2:52 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I know you’re asleep.

[2:52 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I hope you have your Do Not Disturb on.

[2:53 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Anyway don’t gloat too much.

[2:53 PM EDT] Daichi:  
You were right.

[2:53 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I am kind of head over heels for Tetsu.

[2:54 PM EDT] Daichi:  
We were walking together and I basically had an epiphany.

[2:54 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Now I understand why my stomach has been in all sorts of knots recently.

[2:54 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I mean he was so handsome the first time I saw him that it took my breath away unknowingly.

[2:55 PM EDT] Daichi:  
But now that I know him, I like him even more. We’ve become so close. And it’s so comfortable with him.

[2:55 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Except when it’s not comfortable with him because my hands get all clammy and heart jumpy and I feel like I’m about to give a huge presentation in front of a packed lecture hall.

[2:56 PM EDT] Daichi:  
This is so awkward. *facepalm*

[2:56 PM EDT] Daichi:  
And it could ruin everything.

[2:56 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I think I need to tuck these feelings away because I don’t want to ruin our friendship.

~~~~~~

“Ooh, we should check out Chelsea Market,” suggested Daichi.

“Great idea!!” Kuroo clapped Daichi on the back. “One of the best you’ve made all day! I’ve been wanting to have tacos there… and some gelato.”

Sipping on his horchata and seated on high chairs at the taco stand, Kuroo peeked up at his roommate through his eyelashes.

Said roommate was grabbing napkins and utensils for them.

Daichi sat down next to Kuroo as they waited for their tacos.

“So,” Daichi started.

“So~,” Kuroo repeated.

“I don’t mean to pry but… how did you become a model?” Daichi finally asked. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s just… an industry I honestly know nothing about. And I feel bad that it’s taken me so long to ask. I want to know more about you…”

Kuroo’s eyes widened before he broke out into a grin. “Aww. I’m flattered. I think I won the lottery when I got the best possible roommate in New York. ”

Continuing, despite Daichi’s fervent efforts to hide his blushing, “Hmm, you know, it kind of happened naturally. I was scouted. I went in… they liked me. Said I was a natural at it. I do like that life. But honestly… being in New York this semester is probably the best life decision I have ever made. It’s been challenging in ways but fun. I love learning. I love this city. And I love having an awesome roommate who makes every day fun. Honestly, I mean it. I don’t say those words lightly. I am glad you don’t make a big deal out of my job back home.”

Kuroo had been very careful with his words. Everything he had said had been true. He just didn’t correct Daichi’s assumption about his profession.

Daichi looked pensive. “I’ve always lived a normal, average life. Coming to New York’s probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done. Competing in volleyball tournaments was thrilling in high school, but it was still familiar at the same time because it was volleyball and I was part of such a great team. I think coming out to a place like here took a lot of courage for me but I’m really happy I did.” He looked up and locked eyes with Kuroo. “I’m happy I came here and got to meet you.”

Amidst the incessant chatter, the sound of the cooks in the kitchen, and the divine smells of the taco stand, the two college students were focused only on each other. Lost in chocolate brown eyes, Kuroo willed himself to speak. “Daichi, I have to tell you something.”

“You can tell me anything Tetsu, you know that.”

“I, um—“

At that moment, a huge platter of steaming tacos was set in front of them.

~~~~~~

They polished off their street tacos in record time.

“I didn’t realize I was so hungry,” Kuroo laughed. “That was so good, I think I inhaled it.”

“Same. So.. there was something you wanted to tell me? Before the food came and rudely interrupted us?”

“Oh? I can’t quite remember. If it comes back to me, I’ll let you know.” Kuroo’s stomach fell. Somewhere between taco one and two, he’d lost the courage to fess up to Daichi about his identity. _I’ll do it soon._

“No problem, I’m here whenever you want to talk.” Daichi smiled, real and natural and so _Daichi_.

Kuroo felt guilt tug at his heartstrings and wrap around his heart.

***

[7:31 AM JST] Suga:  
awww daichi

[7:31 AM JST] Suga:  
i’m so proud of you

[7:31 AM JST] Suga:  
idk if you should give up tho?

[7:31 AM JST] Suga:  
from what i’ve heard it seems like he might like you back (灬♥ω♥灬)

~~~~~~

[7:39 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
we walked the high line today

[7:39 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
and ate the best tacos

[7:39 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
i took a picture of him eating his tacos lol

[7:39 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
*image attached*

[8:42 PM JST] Kenma:  
have you confessed yet?

[7:43 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
confessed what

[8:45 PM JST] Kenma:  
dont play stupid

[8:45 PM JST] Kenma:  
altho technically you need to confess two things to him

[7:46 EST] Kuroo:  
the food was amazing

[7:48 EST] Kuroo:  
after tacos we went and got gelato and it was out of this world good

[7:48 EST] Kuroo:  
can’t get food like this back home

[9:52 PM JST] Kenma:  
you cant avoid the question forever kuro

~~~~~~

Tetsu was tagging along on almost every morning run with Daichi.

One day he regretfully couldn’t as he needed to finish some problem sets he had stayed up late working on the night before.

Daichi returned back from his jog, face flushed and wide smile on his face, to the smell of bacon and eggs wafting from the kitchen.

“Welcome home! Perfect timing! Breakfast is almost ready.” Tetsu poked his head out into the hallway briefly, catching a glimpse of Daichi’s disheveled hair.

“Thanks so much! I’ll be right over after I change out of these clothes real quick.”

A few minutes later, Daichi headed into the kitchen. The table was already set with utensils, napkins, and beverages - a sports drink for Daichi, juice for Tetsu, and water for both of them.

“Tetsu, you’re going to spoil me! Can I help with anything?”

“No worries, it’s just about done,” Tetsu set down two steaming plates of bacon, eggs, and toast. Instead of sitting down at the table, he came up right beside his roommate and brushed back a stray hair that had fallen into Daichi’s eyes.

Daichi stared mutely ahead, heart hammering out of his chest.

“Your hair’s getting real long, isn’t it,” Tetsu hummed. “Anyway, how was your run? You smell really nice, like fresh air,” he continued, before going back to his side of the table to sit down and take a sip of juice. “Really makes me wish I had come with.”

“I- it was good! Not too crowded and the ducks missed you today, but I let them know you’d be back soon.” The tips of Daichi’s ears burned.

“Yeah, I should be able to come with tomorrow! I finally finished the problem set while you were out but it was a little down to the wire for me. So, has Prince Waddle found his mate yet?”

“Not yet. Don’t worry, you didn’t miss a monumental day at the duck pond.”

Prince Waddle was a larger sized duck whose lack of a mate was apparent. Most of the ducks at the pond were mated mallard ducks. Prince Waddle certainly wasn’t a mallard duck, but they weren’t sure what species he was. He was loud and often commanded the other ducks into following him or getting out of his way. Calling him King Waddle might have been more appropriate for his behavior but once the name Prince Waddle was coined, it had stuck.

They finished breakfast quickly, Daichi excusing himself to take a shower. He felt his face warm when he thought of Tetsu’s offhand remarks at breakfast and how effortlessly handsome he looked across the table. He forced it out of his head and took his phone out to make a haircut appointment.

~~~~~~

Later that evening, they sat side by side on the couch, Daichi flipping channels on the TV. As he was browsing content, he asked, “Random question but have you ever been to or wanted to go to Coney Island?”

Tetsu looked over at him curiously. “It’d probably be cool but I never really considered it. It’s pretty far from Manhattan, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, true.”

“Why do you ask? Did you want to try a famous Nathan’s hot dog?”

Daichi laughed. “No, when I think of those hot dog eating contests, I feel a little sick. Though if we ever go, we should try one.” He paused. “This might be stupid but I’ve always wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel there.”

“I always thought the amusement park there was for couples and families,” Tetsu said, inspecting his fingernails. “Is it even open past the summer?”

“Oh that’s true. It probably is closed now that it’s late October.”

Daichi finally settled on an American sci-fi action movie neither of them had seen.

“Tom Cruise is quite good in this, huh,” Daichi murmured a little while later. When there was no response he looked over and saw Tetsu’s eyes were closed, head bobbing slightly.

 _That’s right, he didn’t sleep much last night, he must be really tired_.

A few minutes later, Tetsu’s head had settled into Daichi’s shoulder.

Stiffly, Daichi sat and attempted to continue watching the movie, but it was getting increasingly difficult to concentrate, with Tetsu making little bubble noises in his sleep. He stifled a giggle and looked over again. _Won’t he get a kink in his neck if he sleeps like this for a while?_

Knowing how deeply his roommate can sleep, he slowly pushed Tetsu’s head back up and repositioned him so that he was lying across the couch.

Daichi settled himself back onto the couch in a seated position and gently lifted Tetsu’s head into his lap.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was stroking Tetsu’s hair. _I always wanted to know what this massive bedhead would feel like between my fingers… it’s so soft. This is okay, right? It’s okay… he’s asleep._

~~~~~~

Kuroo awoke to the familiar smell of Daichi and the feeling of gentle fingers carding through his hair, firm thighs supporting his head and neck. He cracked one eye open halfway and saw Daichi’s eyes trained on the TV, glowing from the lights in the movie.

He closed his eyes again and let his senses absorb the scents and warmth of the moment. The feelings of home, comfort, and pure contentment filled him as the background noises from the TV lulled him back to sleep.

***

[10:02 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Suga.

[10:03 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Tetsu may have fallen asleep on the couch today in my lap.

[10:03 PM EDT] Daichi:  
My heart went into overdrive.

[10:03 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I didn’t know my stomach muscles could do backflips like that.

[11:04 AM JST] Suga:  
✿♥‿♥✿

[11:04 AM JST] Suga:  
this is just SO cute

[11:04 AM JST] Suga:  
i’m excited for you

[11:05 AM JST] Suga:  
love is worth it

[11:05 AM JST] Suga:  
have confidence daichi!!

[11:06 AM JST] Suga:  
i don’t care if he’s a model or famous or what

[11:06 AM JST] Suga:  
he would be stupid and blind not to like you back

[11:06 AM JST] Suga:  
i don’t care how hot you say he is, you’re a total catch

[11:07 AM JST] Suga:  
the WHOLE package

[11:07 AM JST] Suga:  
if he doesn’t see that, i’ll come and beat him up myself!! (◣_◢)

~~~~~~

[10:17 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
um so i

[10:17 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
might’ve accidentally fallen asleep on the couch today

[10:18 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
i woke up with my head in his lap

[10:18 PM EDT] Kuroo]  
but it was so comfortable i didn’t move

[10:18 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
it was kind of intoxicating? in a good way

[10:20 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
anyway i fell back asleep

[11:23 PM JST] Kenma:  
…

[11:23 PM JST] Kenma  
do you even hear yourself

[11:23 PM JST] Kenma  
kuro just admit you like him already

[10:24 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
ok i might have some feelings

[11:24 PM JST] Kenma:  
geez

[11:25 PM JST] Kenma:  
finally

[10:25 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
can’t help it that he’s hot but also adorable

[10:25 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
and that deep voice

[10:26 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
sometimes i can’t help but imagine that deep voice saying naughty things

[10:26 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
and omg kenma those thighs

[10:27 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
have i told you about the thighs

[10:27 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
?!

[10:27 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
bc they are FINE

[10:27 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
and totally distracting

[11:29 PM JST] Kenma:  
you gotta tell him

[10:29 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
that i have feelings for him?

[10:29 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
no way i could ruin everything

[11:30 PM JST] Kenma:  
no

[11:30 PM JST] Kenma:  
that you’re famous back home

[10:35 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
oh

[10:35 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
right

[10:35 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
i’ll do it soon

~~~~~~

Halloween fell on a Sunday this year, the weather turning from cool to cold in dramatic fashion. Their coursework had been so intense that the end of the month had snuck on them pretty quickly. Luckily, they had decided on some fairly simple costumes a few weeks prior.

On the day before Halloween, Tetsu held out two tickets to Daichi. “Want to go tomorrow?”

Daichi took the tickets from his hand. “Coney Island? The amusement park is still open?”

“Yeah, you said you wanted to go, right? They close at the end of the month. We just barely got in,” Tetsu responded with a wry grin.

“Can we dress up?”

“I don’t see why not? We should do whatever we want!”

The next day, Daichi emerged from his bedroom dressed in a Hogwarts Gryffindor robe with a matching tie, scarf, and a wand in hand.

“You look great,” Tetsu said, getting up from the couch.

Daichi lost the ability to breathe for a moment. Tetsu was also dressed in all black, but had on black cat ears over hair that was somewhat slicked down, a black eye mask, and a tail. His eyes almost glowed. “Y-you actually look like a cat,” he finally managed to stutter.

“Yeah, well. I think cats are my spirit animal so it seemed right. The bigger question is… does this mean you are my master and I am your pet?”

“Sure, Neko-chan~” Daichi teased back, cheeks getting hot.

Tetsu adjusted his cat ears, the tips of his real ears looking suspiciously pink.

Coney Island wasn’t as crowded as they had expected, likely due to it being the very tail end of the season. They boarded the Ferris Wheel, looking around in awe.

“The city looks gorgeous from up here,” Daichi murmured, unlocking his phone to take some photos.

Tetsu removed his eye mask as their pod climbed higher and higher, fixated on the scenery outside. Daichi unwittingly shifted his gaze from the city to his roommate. _He really is so handsome_. He snapped a photo of his roommate - the first, he realized, of his face, though Tetsu was looking off to the side.

Nervously, Daichi barked out a nervous laugh. Unsure if Tetsu had not noticed the photo or not, he hurriedly asked, “Can we take a selfie?”

“Of course,” Tetsu grinned. “We should take more selfies. And pictures together, to commemorate our various adventures. Come over here.”

Daichi settled next to Tetsu and held his phone out for a selfie. The cabin buckled at first then adjusted to the weight imbalance.

“You’re too far away, Daichi,” Tetsu laughed. “You’re not going to be able to get us both in the picture unless you get closer.”

Tetsu put his arm around Daichi’s shoulders and pulled him close. Slightly lightheaded, Daichi struggled to get a good angle. “Stop making faces!”

“I want one too,” Tetsu said, smirking. He smoothly reached his arm forward and snapped a photo. “See how easy it is when you have long arms?”

“Oh shut up.”

They decided to stop by the Nathan’s Hot Dog stand after they had their fill at the amusement park.

“Hmm, I think it’s overrated,” Daichi said after taking a bite.

“Imagine eating like 50 of these in 10 minutes?”

“Ugh, don’t make me sick.” They laughed.

“I think the ones you make at home are definitely better,” Tetsu declared, finishing off his hot dog.

***

[10:06 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Sigh.

[10:06 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I really like him, Suga. ;_;

[10:07 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Anyway as promised… sorry it’s taken me so long.

[10:07 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I took a picture of him when we were on the Ferris Wheel today.

[10:07 PM EDT] Daichi:  
*image attached*

[11:08 AM JST] Suga:  
DAICHI I AM IN CLASS RIGHT NOW

[11:08 AM JST] Suga:  
SO I CANNOT CALL YOU BUT

[11:08 AM JST] Suga:  
ARE YOU MESSING WITH ME RIGHT NOW

[10:09 PM EDT] Daichi:  
What are you talking about?

[10:09 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I told you he’s handsome. *_*

[10:10 PM EDT] Daichi:  
We also took a selfie.

[10:10 PM EDT] Daichi:  
*image attached*

***10:13 PM EDT / 11:13 AM JST***  
***INCOMING VIDEO CALL FROM SUGAWARA KOUSHI***

“Suga? Aren’t you in class?”

“DAICHI. I stepped out. I ran into an empty men’s room outside the lecture hall. And you’ll want to know this later, so yes I made sure the entire restroom is 100% empty. Do you even… oh my god. Am I on speakerphone or can you put in some headphones?”

“What is it? I’m really confused. Hang on, let me get my earbuds.” A minute later, Daichi continued. “Ok, I’m good now.”

Suga was obviously pacing back and forth in the bathroom with how the walls of the bathroom moved jerkily on Daichi’s screen, a myriad of blurry but complex expressions crossing his face. “Daichi… ok look. Your roommate isn’t exactly a model. Is that what he told you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your roommate Tetsu… he’s _Kuroo Tetsurou_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun facts:  
> *Miura Haruma's roommate really wanted to visit the London Eye, but when he told him, Miura was like "only couples go there..." not long thereafter, Miura brought home tickets for the London Eye and they went together ;_; and they took a selfie there (there's also a photo of them taken by someone else)  
> *Coney Island amusement park doesn't actually do tickets in advance - you go there and buy them - but in the spirit of the Miura Haruma roommate story, I wanted a Ferris Wheel setting so. (Also I have never been even though I lived in NY for many years, lol, pls excuse any other inaccuracies)
> 
> *The movie they're watching when Kuroo falls asleep is "Live Die Repeat" (Edge of Tomorrow) which is one of my favorite sci-fi/action movies. (How Daichi hasn't seen it until now is beyond me, lol)  
> *Eating tacos and gelato at Chelsea Market was inspired by Bobby Flay's recommendations on The Flay List. I've actually never been but really want to eat both so badly!  
> *I know Kuroo actually likes dogs more than cats in canon but well... I had to make him a cat person lol.  
> *The High Line is very pretty in every season I've visited!  
> *Sorry if the costumes are kind of lame but I LOVE Haikyuu x Hogwarts fanfics/fanart and I've also seen Halloween fanart of Kuroo dressed as a cat and he looked so cute lol
> 
> Chapter title from Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" (since the High Line is on the Hudson River side of Manhattan)
> 
> Next chapter:  
> The truth comes out and Bokuto comes to NYC!


	4. no other road, no other way, no day but today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi learns Kuroo's true identity, Suga is a good friend, Daichi and Tetsu have a talk. And we get a little Bokuto!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan to get a few more updates out before Christmas because of the story timeline! Thanks to all who are reading, I'm so humbled by all of you. <3

_“Your roommate Tetsu… he’s_ Kuroo Tetsurou _.”_

“Yeah, so?” Daichi’s mind was swirling.

“KUROO TETSUROU! He’s a super famous actor! His agency released that he was taking a year off to pursue his studies, but the general populace doesn’t know where he is. There were rumors among netizens floating around, people saying they saw him all over the world. London, Seoul, Paris, San Francisco, LA, New York, Boston, Rome, Hawaii… nobody really knows. But wow! I guess he was in New York this whole time.”

“Wait… you’re sure about this, Suga?” Daichi’s hands and feet were turning cold even though he could feel his heart beating out of his eardrums.

“I’m ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE,” his best friend hissed. “Even with those cat ears and the hair it’s definitely him. Think back, did you just assume he was a model from his good looks? I don’t think Kuroo is known to be deceptive or anything. He actually has a really good, clean reputation. He’s a good guy, doesn’t play around, serious about his craft. And supremely talented. He has a lot of really devoted fans.”

_“Agency huh,” Daichi mused. “Yeah I figured, with how you were dressed when I came back to the apartment. I had wondered if you were a model. Your secret is safe with me.” Daichi grinned and reached his fist out._

_Tetsu smiled back and bumped Daichi’s fist with his own._

—

_“I don’t mean to pry but… how did you become a model?” Daichi finally asked._

_“Hmm, you know, it kind of happened naturally. I was scouted. I went in… they liked me. Said I was a natural at it. I like that life, I do.”_

—

“Oh my god… Suga, I am such an idiot.” Daichi propped his phone on his desk and put his head in his hands.

“You assumed, didn’t you?” Suga’s laugh rang into his ears. “And he didn’t correct you. I KNEW you were out of touch with Japanese entertainment but I had no idea you didn’t know KUROO TETSUROU! He’s our age too!”

“…”

“Well you know what, I actually think this is good.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Daichi interrupted with a whisper. “Does he think I’m untrustworthy?”

“No, Daichi, don’t you dare go down that train of thought. Stop it right there. This is what I think. I think that he’s super happy that you treated him like a normal person. I bet that’s why he hasn’t told you. He doesn’t want things to change.”

“I don’t want things to change either, but how can they not now that I know?”

“You should tell him that you know, but that you don’t want your dynamic to change. Oh and before you start getting all up in your own head, I’m telling you that you are my best friend and you deserve to be loved by only the best. I support you ALL the way.” He paused and checked his watch. “Oh shoot, I have taken way too long of a bathroom break. I gotta get back to class but let’s talk again later.”

“Thanks Suga… I don’t know what I would do without you sometimes,” Daichi said weakly.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Daichi!”

***VIDEO CALL ENDED***

Daichi flopped onto his bed and pulled the comforter over his face.

Less than a minute later, an arm snuck out and grabbed his phone from the desk. Biting his lip, he typed in “Kuroo Tetsurou” into the search bar of his browser.

***

[12:02 PM JST] Suga:  
did you know that tsukishima being good at volleyball is partly because of kuroo?

[12:02 PM JST] Suga:  
you probably heard the story but didnt know who it was specifically that influenced him

[12:03 PM JST] Suga:  
anyway kuroo used to play volleyball for his middle school and some videos were publicized

[12:03 PM JST] Suga:  
bc people asked him about his hobbies and he said he loved volleyball

[12:03 PM JST] Suga:  
made some comments about how being middle blocker is the best

[12:04 PM JST] Suga:  
tsukishima started playing volleyball bc of his older brother but he wanted to be a middle blocker because of kuroo

[12:04 PM JST] Suga:  
(灬♥ω♥灬)

[12:04 PM JST] Suga:  
kuroo had some amazing moves even in middle school

[12:05 PM JST] Suga:  
he probably would’ve been unstoppable had he been able to continue playing in high school

[11:09 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I feel so stupid.

[11:09 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I’ve been googling him.

[11:09 PM EDT] Daichi:  
He’s out of my league. T_T

[11:10 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I don’t know why I didn’t google him before.

[11:10 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I guess I just thought I should respect his privacy and I didn’t know how famous of a model he was and I didn’t really care because he’s Tetsu you know, my friend and roommate and…

[11:11 PM EDT] Daichi:  
I guess if things go south, I can always finish out my year back home and only spend one semester in New York.

[12:11 PM JST] Suga:  
STOP IT DAICHI

[12:11 PM JST] Suga:  
STOP IT RIGHT THERE

[12:11 PM JST] Suga:  
I TOLD YOU NOT TO THINK LIKE THAT ╥﹏╥

[12:12 PM JST] Suga:  
just talk to him

[12:12 PM JST] Suga:  
from what i know of him as an actor he’s a genuinely good guy

[12:12 PM JST] Suga:  
and from what i know of him as your roommate i think he likes you too ♡´·ᴗ·`♡

[12:13 PM JST] Suga:  
don’t forget that he’s a single college guy just like you

[12:13 PM JST] Suga:  
i am still invited to come visit sometime right?

[12:14 PM JST] Suga:  
i want to meet him even more now!!

[11:15 PM EDT] Daichi:  
Yeah, I’ll have to bring it up with him soon… my heart is too heavy otherwise.

[11:15 PM EDT] Daichi:  
And you are always welcome :) if things get weird between us, maybe you should come help defuse the situation.

[12:15 PM JST] Suga:  
funny not funny daichi

[12:15 PM JST] Suga:  
don’t give up!

Before bed, Daichi kept thinking of past conversations they’d had. He hung onto one thing he remembered Tetsu —Kuroo??— saying.

_“I am glad you don’t make a big deal out of my job back home.”_

~~~~~~

 **November** ****

The day after Coney Island, Daichi was acting weird.

They went on their morning run as usual, but Daichi wasn’t meeting Kuroo’s gaze, his smiles were few and far between, and was taciturn even after their workout.

“Everything ok, Daichi?” Kuroo finally ventured.

“E-everything’s fine, Tetsu,” Daichi answered, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. He smiled into the distance, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Ok, I—“

Daichi let out a long exhale. “I think we probably need to jet now if we’re going to get to class on time, but can we… can we maybe talk later tonight at dinner?”

“Sure,” Kuroo murmured. “Of course, anytime.”

More quietly than ever, they left the duck pond.

~~~

When Daichi returned home that evening, Kuroo was sitting at the kitchen table typing away. “I ordered Thai, hope that’s okay,” he said without looking up from his laptop. “I thought you might not want to cook tonight.”

“Sure, that’s fine.” Daichi sat down quietly at the table across from Kuroo and pulled out his phone. A long stretch of silence followed as Kuroo’s fingers continue to fly across his keyboard. Finally, after a yawn and stretch, he turned his full attention on Daichi.

“Did you want to talk now?” Kuroo asked, tentatively, shutting his laptop.

“Sure.” Daichi put his phone facedown on the table.

“So….”

“So.”

_He knows. He must know. He knows I’ve been lying to him. I shouldn’t have waited this long. Why didn’t I tell him at Chelsea Market, or in the Ferris Wheel, or on our run yesterday or…?_

“Daichi, I —“

Daichi balled his fists in his lap. “Tetsu. I… well. Or maybe I should call you Kuroo?” He attempted a weak attempt at a smile, staring at a mark on the table. “Why didn’t you ever correct my stupid assumption that you were a model?”

_I should have anticipated this would happen. In retrospect, it would’ve happened a whole lot earlier had Daichi not been Daichi. Why didn’t I tell him?_

“I’m sorry Daichi, really. Would you believe me if I told you that it honestly doesn’t make one iota of a difference to me whether you know or not?” Kuroo ran his fingers through his wild bedhead. “Or actually… that’s a lie. I was happier that you didn’t know because you didn’t treat me differently. Or special. I don’t want to be treated any differently than anyone else.”

“I just feel so stupid,” Daichi said quietly. “And dense.”

Kuroo leaned over the table and lifted Daichi’s chin so that brown and hazel met. He dropped his hand but their eyes stayed trained on each other. “Please don’t think it was because I didn’t trust you. The honest truth is that I was so happy being treated like a normal person that I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. I knew from day one that I would have to tell you eventually. I was just too scared to do it because I didn’t want our friendship to change. And the closer we got, the harder it was.”

Daichi stared at him wordlessly, still unsure.

Too late to backpedal, Kuroo continued. “I have the highest respect for you, Daichi. How you stick to your convictions. How you are so caring and selfless. How you treated me like I was just any old college classmate. That’s exactly how I wanted to be treated! That’s why I came to New York. I truly apologize for withholding the truth from you. I totally understand that you’re hurt and disappointed by me… and I don’t blame you at all. But can you understand how I feel? If our positions had been reversed?”

***

Daichi had spent a good portion of the day thinking of just that. He could understand why Tetsu had kept up the model facade for as long as he did. But he also couldn’t help feeling really foolish and slow.

“Don’t feel ashamed that you didn’t know, Daichi,” Tetsu railroaded on, as if he were a mind-reader. “I actually really loved that about you. I don’t think I could’ve hit it off so well with someone who knew who I was because that always taints the image of who I really am. I’ve been acting for almost 10 years but you’re probably the person who knows me the best outside of my family, my manager, and a few close friends.”

Tetsu walked over to Daichi’s side of the table and kneeled down so they were at eye level. Grabbing Daichi’s hands out of his lap, he covered Daichi’s hands with his own.

“I’m truly sorry Daichi. I know that an omission is still a lie. Can you forgive me?”

A moment of silence.

“Stupid,” Daichi breathed. “There’s nothing to forgive.” Slowly, he continued. “I was definitely hurt and confused last night when I found out. But it was just as much my own mistake, not asking you what you do for a living and assuming you were a model. I had the perfect chance to ask when you told me not to post anything on social media. Or when fans asked to take a picture with you for the fiftieth time.” He smiled wryly.

“I’ll never get over the fact that my looks were so stunning that you assumed my profession,” Tetsu grinned.

“I guess it’s not that different, model, actor, whatever. I’ll be happy if we can continue to be Tetsu and Daichi. Just you and me, like it’s been since you moved in.”

“Did you just blatantly ignore my comment about my good looks?!”

“Yes.”

“Aww Daichi,” Tetsu crooned. “And yes, Tetsu and Daichi. Roommates extraordinaire.”

“Or should it be Kuroo and Daichi?”

“Hell no. Tetsu, please.”

“Okay.”

***

[11:41 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
he knows now

[12:43 PM JST] Kenma:  
good

[12:43 PM JST] Kenma:  
finally

[12:43 PM JST] Kenma:  
and? how did it go?

[11:43 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
kinda rough

[11:44 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
he found out

[12:45 PM JST] Kenma:  
well duh

[12:46 PM JST] Kenma:  
you obviously weren’t going to be the one to tell him

[12:46 PM JST] Kenma:  
i’m honestly shocked he didn’t figure it out sooner

[12:46 PM JST] Kenma:  
after you sat on your hands for months

[11:46 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
true

[11:46 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
i really made a mess out of things didn’t i?

[12:47 PM JST] Kenma:  
well don’t worry too much about it

[12:48 PM JST] Kenma:  
now that it’s out there you can focus on the other part

[11:48 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
what other part

[12:48 PM JST] Kenma:  
confessing

[11:48 PM EDT] Kuroo:  
:O

~~~~~~

Daylight Savings came and went, the boys enjoying their extra hour of sleep. Daichi and Kuroo fell back into their normal routine. Things felt a little awkward at first but now that Kuroo was no longer hiding behind a secret, he was freer than ever. That in turn alleviated any tensions in Daichi. Kuroo took shared calls with his agency from the common rooms rather than holing up in his bedroom or in empty study rooms on campus.

Morning runs saw the appearance of two additional large snowy white ducks at the pond, faithfully following Prince Waddle.

“Daichi, Prince Waddle has a harem!” Kuroo excitedly announced one day, grabbing Daichi by the arm.

Daichi had been too distracted to even notice the harem, as he had been staring at Kuroo who had just lifted his shirt hem to wipe his face, exposing a flash of abs and chest.

He remembered that he could very easily google his roommate and see shirtless pictures of him.

Remembering this did not help his state of mind. Nor did doing it.

Daichi became hyper-fixated on every point of contact Kuroo made with him. Kuroo had always had an exuberant personality, comfortable using touch to express his feelings. Shortly after they met, Kuroo had already been poking and prodding Daichi, slapping him on the back, slinging an arm around his shoulders. It had become commonplace for Daichi’s heart to stutter and his stomach muscles to clench. Now it was even worse. It felt like every point of contact Kuroo made was a hot branding iron against his skin, even through his clothes.

Kuroo rustling his hair after a run —

Removing a piece of fuzz from Daichi’s shirt —

Kuroo squeezing past Daichi in the kitchen to grab a drink of water —

A jab in the side, a clap on the back, a neck massage because “Daichi you looked stressed today” —

Daichi was losing his mind.

***

[8:02 PM EST] Daichi:  
He’s amazing, Suga.

[8:02 PM EST] Daichi:  
But he keeps touching me. Is he doing it on purpose?!

[10:05 AM JST] Suga:  
just tell him already daichi

[10:05 AM JST] Suga:  
or make a move? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

~~~~~~

One week later, Bokuto Koutarou rolled into town.

[8:22 AM EST] Bokuto:  
TETSUBRO!

[8:22 AM EST] Bokuto:  
I’m in NYC!

[8:22 AM EST] Bokuto:  
Let’s hang out!

***8:30 AM EST***  
***INCOMING VOICE CALL FROM BOKUTO KOUTAROU***

“Bo?”

“Yo yo yo!! Did you see my messages? I’m filming some scenes for a drama in the Big Apple. A little birdie told me you were hiding away taking classes here.”

“That little birdie was me, Bo. I asked you to keep it on the super down-low before I left?” Kuroo put his phone on speakerphone while he towel dried his hair after a shower.

“Right! Yep! I haven’t told a soul! So you up for hanging out?”

“Sure. Can my roomie come along? He’s super chill.”

“Of course! The more the merrier!”

That weekend, Kuroo and Daichi, both dressed in long coats, hats, and shades, arrived at a private VIP room of a club. Kuroo had told him that they were going to meet an old friend of his but that they needed to all wear coverups just in case. Daichi stepped into the elaborate room and looked around, eyes wide.

“Hey hey hey!!” a loud greeting came from the other side of the room.

“Hey hey hey!” Kuroo echoed.

In a few leaps, Bokuto had crossed the room and wrapped Kuroo in a bear hug. “I missed you bro.”

“Me too, Bo.” Untangling himself, “Bo, this is my roommate, Sawamura Daichi. Daichi, this is—“

“Oh wow,” Daichi breathed, getting a good look at Kuroo’s friend. “Bokuto Koutarou?”

Kuroo pouted. “Wait a second, what?! You recognize him but not me?!”

“Ha ha ha! Nice one, Sawamura!! You riled Kuroo up! It’s what we all like to do!”

One month ago, Daichi would not have recognized Bokuto had he knocked on their front door. The tall owlish looking star was a idol/performer turned actor who had starred alongside Kuroo in a drama just one year prior. They had played high school students hidden away in the corner of the high school, one step away from becoming delinquents. That is, until a yakuza-turned teacher came in and inspired them all to turn their lives around.

Daichi had binged the drama in under a week, secretly, in bed with his headphones after they retreated to their rooms at night.

People had commented on their chemistry. People had shipped them after the drama aired. “Bokuroo” trended on social media for a while. It was still an active tag kept alive by devoted fans.

Daichi only knew this because it was on the wikipedia, of course.

Although even he had noticed their chemistry during the drama. He couldn’t help the hot coils of jealousy in the pit of his stomach, nor could he ignore how his eyes followed Kuroo no matter what was going on in the scene. Bokuto was also a commanding presence in the show, but Kuroo was on a whole different level- at least to Daichi. Daichi knew Kuroo as his roommate, his friend, who put the dishes away quietly to be considerate, who stayed up late to keep him company when he was stressed, whose lopsided smile put the sun to shame. To watch him play a totally different person so convincingly was mind-blowing. Now he finally understood the hype, the fame, the talent that had made his roommate famous.

“Daichi? Hello?” the hand waving in front of his face snapped him back to reality.

“I’m sorry, where are my manners,” he recovered quickly. “Sawamura Daichi. It is a pleasure to meet you, Bokuto-san.”

“Just Bo or Bokuto is fine,” the idol replied gleefully. “Any friend of my bro’s is a friend of mine!”

“Daichiiii, how come you know who he is, and not me?” Kuroo whined.

Daichi put his hand on Kuroo’s arm to try to mollify him. “I thought you were happy I didn’t recognize you,” he teased. “Isn’t that why you kept it a secret for so long?”

“Oookay, you might be right about that but you’re going to tell me how you recognized him later.” He jabbed Daichi in the side eliciting a squeal of protest.

~~~~~~

When Daichi excused himself to the restroom, Bokuto bounded over to Kuroo and put his arm around him.

“Dude you got the hots for your roomie?”

What?!” Kuroo yelped, trying to scramble out of Bokuto’s grasp unsuccessfully.

“You can tell me! I am good at keeping secrets.”

Kuroo resigned himself to his fate. He glanced over. “How did you know?”

“Dude… it’s so obvious… the way you look at him sometimes when he’s talking? It’s like you have real legit heart eyes.” Bokuto beamed. “It’s really cute. He seems like a good guy, I’m so glad you found someone.”

Kuroo sighed. “I don’t want to say anything because I don’t want to ruin things.”

“But bro! I think he has heart eyes too? I don’t know him well but he seems really smiley around you, even when you’re on one of your teasing rampages.”

“I don’t know, Bo… but anyway how has Akaashi been? I heard his latest solo album, it was really good.”

Bokuto and Akaashi were a musical group of two coined Fukurō Duo. They had been singing and performing together for a few years now. Outside of their group activities, Bokuto had branched out into acting and Akaashi had taken to writing his own lyrics and releasing a few solo albums.

“Oh, Akaashi’s been Akaashi. He’s doing pretty well, but you know, sometimes he overthinks things and gets into his head too much when we’re preparing for a show or recording.”

“Are you guys….?” Kuroo lowered his voice instinctually, even though there was nobody else around.

“Oh I don’t know, bro. I don’t want to complicate things but you know how I feel about him.” Bokuto met Kuroo’s gaze. “You know how it feels to not want to mess up what we already have. Don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Kuroo breathed. “I do.” After a pause, “but I also know how well he complements you Bo, so I really hope it works out for you.”

Daichi returned to the sight of Bokuto’s arm around Kuroo, his roommate speaking in low tones.

***

[11:55 PM EST] Daichi:  
*image attached*

[2:02 PM JST] Suga:  
ARE YOU SERIOUS DAICHI

[2:02 PM JST] Suga:  
BOKUTO KOUTAROU?

[12:05 AM EST] Daichi:  
He’s here for some filming. He wanted to meet up with Tetsu.

[2:06 PM JST] Suga:  
(ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

[2:06 PM JST] Suga:  
how was he in real life

[12:07 AM EST] Daichi:  
He’s really happy go lucky.

[12:07 AM EST] Daichi:  
Not serious at all. A lot of fun.

[12:08 AM EST] Daichi:  
I can see why he and Tetsu get along.

[12:08 AM EST] Daichi:  
But he kinda got handsy.

[2:09 PM JST] Suga:  
uh oh

[2:09 PM JST] Suga:  
explain

[12:10 AM EST] Daichi:  
I don’t know, a little all over him?

[12:10 AM EST] Daichi:  
I know they go way back… and they’re probably both the physical affection type, but…

[2:11 PM JST] Suga:  
you were jealous

[12:11 AM EST] Daichi:  
Yeah.

[2:12 PM JST] Suga:  
don’t tell me you were looking on the bokuroo tag daichi

[2:12 PM JST] Suga:  
but even if you were… maybe its just a cute bromance

[2:12 PM JST] Suga:  
nothing’s confirmed but bokuto has some insane chemistry with his partner akaashi just fyi

[2:12 PM JST] Suga:  
lots of rumors there too

[12:13 AM EST] Daichi:  
Thanks Suga. :)

~~~~~~

“Hey, you never told me how you knew Bokuto,” Kuroo brought up one evening as they were hanging out in front of the TV.

“Oh. That,” Daichi laughed nervously. “Um. Well you don’t actually need to be jealous.”

“I’m not jealous!” Kuroo cried.

“Sure you’re not. Anyway I didn’t know of him before I came to New York or anything.”

“Mmm? Tell me more.”

“Iwatchedyourlastdrama,” Daichi said.

“What? Come again?”

“I watched your last drama,” Daichi repeated, still fast but understandable this time, cheekbones and ears turning pink. “I was just, I dunno, curious after I found out the truth, so…”

“Awwww,” Kuroo grinned,though his neck and ears feeling hot. “I’m flattered. And? What did you think?”

“It was really well done. It was kind of a trip, seeing my roommate acting a high school delinquent but you were really convincing in it.”

“Thanks Daichi. That really means a lot coming from you. Next time you don't have to hide that you're watching it though." Kuroo leaned over and pinched Daichi on the leg.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“I don’t know, just felt like it.”

“Ugh, Tetsu, rude.”

~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my fav hc's in this universe is that tsukishima was still influenced by kuroo hhggnnnhh
> 
> Sorry if the narrative is all over the place, I still think of Kuroo as "Kuroo" so now that the gig is up, Daichi is Daichi and Kuroo is Kuroo. lol
> 
> The drama series that Kuroo and Bokuto are in together is "Gokusen." And Miura Haruma was in Gokusen 3 so it felt fitting. We can imagine that Kuroo and Bokuto were in Gokusen 4. ><
> 
> Also I hate writing confrontation... so more fluff is on the way soon!
> 
> chapter title from one of my favorite songs from "rent"


	5. no place in the world that can compare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to catch up to the holiday season for our favorite awkward boys, so here is the next chapter earlier than expected! Warning: this one is fluffy~

On the evening of November 16, Kuroo returned home to the smell of something delicious in the air and muffled voices coming from the kitchen.

“Daichi? Is someone here?”

“Oho ho? You’re home already?” Bokuto skidded into the hallway.

“Oho ho ho? What are you doing here?” Kuroo asked curiously, taking off his shoes.

“Happy birthday, bro!” Bokuto bounced over to Kuroo happily. “Come on!”

He led Kuroo to the living area. A “Happy Birthday” garland was hanging on the wall, complete with streamers and a few balloons.

“Hey Tetsu,” Daichi said from the kitchen shyly. “Happy birthday.”

“But my birthday isn’t until tomorrow?”

“It’s tomorrow in Japan,” Daichi smiled.

“Aww… you guys didn’t have to do anything. This is so sweet.”

Daichi pouted a little. “I wanted to have dinner ready right when you came back… but I was a bit delayed.”

“I got a little excited and then lightheaded from blowing the balloons,” Bokuto laughed. “We should’ve gotten an inflator!”

“You’ll always be the same old Bo.” Kuroo lightly punched him on the shoulder.

“Tetsu, tomorrow, your classes end at 2 right?”

Kuroo nodded.

“Okay, after classes tomorrow meet me back here and I’ll take you out somewhere,” Daichi said.

“I have filming all day tomorrow bro, so I’m sorry I probably won’t be able to see you then. But I brought you this.” Bokuto procured a small box and handed it to Kuroo.

“Thanks bro, you know you didn’t have to.”

“I know. I wanted to!” Bokuto clapped Kuroo on the back much harder than was necessary.

Kuroo opened the box to find a new silver watch.

Bokuto looked up at the ceiling. “You know… to replace the one I borrowed and broke by accident last year…”

“I love it Bo, thanks.” He ruffled Bokuto’s hair. “Hang on a second… Daichi. Are you making what I THINK you’re making? I recognize that smell. Is that mackerel?”

“You got it,” Daichi grinned. “I got it at a fish market. Had to call around a bit. I’m not sure if it’s the same type of pike we have at home but it should be pretty similar.”

“Wait a second. You knew how to cook this dish?”

“Naw, I asked ‘mura the same thing,” Bokuto chimed in. “He got the recipe from his mom and even went to the Japanese market to get some missing supplies!”

Kuroo stared over in awe as Daichi blushed and busied himself around the kitchen. “I’m almost done with the fish, so just sit tight. There’s some sparkling cider that you can pop open. AND we’re going to barbecue meats!” He whipped out a portable yakiniku grill for the table and started pulling out containers of meat.

Bokuto’s eyes bugged out. “Wait what!? Did you just say yakiniku?!”

“Yeah, figured since you were here, I should make your favorite too. Well, and we ALL love yakiniku,” Daichi explained.

“I like this one Kuroo, can we keep him?” Bokuto said skipping over to Daichi excitedy and throwing an arm around him.

“Thought that was already decided,” Kuroo hummed, joining the party and wrapping an arm around Daichi from the other side. “But he’s mine, Bo.”

“As much as I love this, I need to finish preparing the food,” Daichi said in mock exasperation.

~~~~~~

Bokuto watched the two roommates happily as they partook in their usual banter during dinner, chiming in whenever he could, then dozed off on the couch immediately following the meal.

“That was so good, Daichi, thanks again so much. You should let me do that,” Kuroo said quietly as Daichi loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.

“No way, birthday boy.”

When Bokuto awoke, he found Daichi and Kuroo curled up, fast asleep, on cushions next to the couch, Kuroo loosely spooning his roommate. _Oh man,_ he thought as he snapped a picture to commemorate the moment. _Happy birthday bro._ He called his ride and snuck out of the apartment quietly.

***

[10:25 PM EST] Kuroo:  
he made me mackerel for dinner *_*

[10:25 PM EST] Kuroo:  
and we had bbq meats

[10:25 PM EST] Kuroo:  
*image attached*

[10:26 PM EST] Kuroo:  
it was soooooo good

[10:26 PM EST] Kuroo:  
i feel so spoiled

[12:27 PM JST] Kenma:  
happy birthday kuro

[10:27 PM EST] Kuroo:  
bokuto came over

[10:28 PM EST] Kuroo:  
it was really nice

[10:28 PM EST] Kuroo:  
*image attached*

[10:28 PM EST] Kuroo:  
he sent me this though *_*

[10:29 PM EST] Kuroo:  
i wish i were brave enough to do this when we’re both awake lol

[12:29 PM JST] Kenma:  
you should

[12:55 PM JST] Kenma:  
how’s bokuto doing

[10:56 PM EST] Kuroo:  
same old

[12:57 PM JST] Kenma:  
that’s good

[12:57 PM JST] Kenma:  
tell him he still needs to return that game he borrowed

~~~~~~

The next day, while returning home after his last class, Kuroo ran into Daichi in the apartment complex hallway.

“Oh, great timing! Do you want to get changed?” Daichi asked, unlocking the door and stepping in.

Following Daichi into the apartment, “For what? Where are you taking me?”

“Hmm, it’s a surprise. But it’s cold outside, so we’ll need to bundle up.”

“Baby it’s cold outsideeee” ♫ Kuroo started singing, pulling Daichi into a dance.

“Tetsu, stop. There’s a reason why I never thought you were a singer.”

“Ouch, Daichi. That was an arrow straight to the heart!”

They started pulling on their shoes, Kuroo adjusting his hat to cover his ears.

“Oh, before we leave, here’s something small from me.” Daichi handed Kuroo a gift-wrapped package.

“Daichi… you know you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know, but I wanted to. It’s really small anyway,” Daichi scratched the back of his neck.

Kuroo opened the soft package to find a red chunky knit scarf. “Ooh, Daichi. I love it. It’s such a beautiful shade of red. Thank you.”

Kuroo insisted on wearing the scarf out, since it was cold outside (he attempted another take at singing at which Daichi swatted him for), wrapping the chunky scarf around his neck and coat collar loosely.

Daichi’s cheeks burned pink, continually glancing at Kuroo out of the corner of his eye as they made their way out of the apartment and onto the subway.

They got off at one of the 42nd Street subway stations.

“Don’t tell me you’re taking me to Times Square for my birthday? I might get hives even in this cold. That place is too crowded at all parts of the day every day of the year,” Kuroo laughed, pulling his hat down over his sunglasses.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to Times Square.” He oriented himself and led Kuroo in the opposite direction from Times Square.

“So... want to go ice skating?” Daichi asked, grinning.

“Oh my gosh, YES. I really wanted to skate here in front of the cute Christmas tree!”

“I know you did,” Daichi beamed. “It’s not lit up yet, but the tree and Christmas village should be set up now.”

They rented skates and were on the Bryant Park ice rink at 4pm.

“I can’t believe you can reserve a time,” Kuroo hummed.

“I had no idea you could either, it was a lucky surprise. I happened to come across it when I was researching things to do.”

The ice skating rink had a good amount of people but thankfully was not as crowded as it normally is on weekends. As they tried to navigate around a few other groups, they were almost separated by some kids gone rogue skating in the other direction.

Kuroo grabbed Daichi’s gloved hand. “I don’t want to get lost on my birthday.”

“Silly. The rink is pretty small,” Daichi chuckled. “Ooh, okay. I don’t think I’m as good as skating as you,” Daichi followed up a little breathlessly as he almost slipped.

“I’ve got you,” Kuroo said quietly. “If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

“I… don’t quite think that’s possible in this situation unless you want to fall onto the ice too."

“Okay… then if I miss, I’ll pull you back up.” Kuroo winked.

Almost losing his balance again, Daichi flushed and pulled Kuroo forward. Gaining a little momentum, they continued holding gloved hands as they circled around the rink. The beautiful Christmas tree stood there, a quiet witness to their budding love story.

~~~~~~

After skating around, they explored the little Christmas village of shops and food stands around Bryant Park.

“I want to try at least three different flavors of caramel corn,” Daichi said, eyes shining.

“Okay, okay,” Kuroo laughed. “AFTER we get some baos… and maybe a crepe or two…”

Just then, a voice gasped from a few feet in front of them. “Kuroo Tetsurou?”

A fan emerged, shyly asking Kuroo for a photo and an autograph. “I heard you laugh and just knew it was you!” she exclaimed, smiling brightly. “Don’t worry, I won’t blow your cover. I am one of your biggest fans and am so thrilled. I’m so thankful I came to the city today!”

Daichi took a few photos of them together with the shops and Christmas tree in the background, and she flew off.

“Thanks, Daichi,” Kuroo said, eyes exploring Daichi’s face a little worriedly.

“Of course, Tetsu.” A moment of silence between them followed, voices and laughter ringing out from the crowds surrounding them.

“Hey, Daichi. Let’s go back to the far end of the skating rink, away from the tree before we go to town with caramel corn and crepes and baos.” Kuroo pulled Daichi by the hand. “I want a picture of us together.”

Wrapping an arm around his roommate, Kuroo Tetsurou held out his smartphone camera as he tugged Daichi closer to him. He snapped a few selfies of two radiant smiles, one bright and excited, the other a little shy but just as happy, with skaters on the rink and tree as their backdrop.

***

[1:01 PM JST] Suga:  
soooooooooo

[1:01 PM JST] Suga:  
you remembered kuroo’s birthday right

[1:02 PM JST] Suga:  
i meant to remind you but this week went by so fast and i forgot (ノдT)

[1:02 PM JST] Suga:  
but if i know my best friend i know he’d remember

[1:02 PM JST] Suga:  
what did you do?! (♥ω♥*)

[11:03 PM EST] Daichi:  
Don’t worry, I remembered.

[11:03 PM EST] Daichi:  
I cooked him mackerel the night before. And we grilled yakiniku at the table!

[11:04 PM EST] Daichi:  
Today I took him to Bryant Park for ice skating.

[1:05 PM JST] Suga:  
awwwwww daichi

[1:05 PM JST] Suga:  
you cooked him his favorite food!!

[1:05 PM JST] Suga:  
thats the cutest

[1:06 PM JST] Suga:  
also ice skating!!!

[1:06 PM JST] Suga:  
how romantic!!!

[1:06 PM JST] Suga:  
two very swoonworthy moves

[11:06 PM EST] Daichi:  
*photo attached*

[11:06 PM EST] Daichi:  
He took a selfie of us.

[1:07 PM JST] Suga:  
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh (*´▽｀*)

[1:07 PM JST] Suga:  
YOU TWO ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER

[1:07 PM JST] Suga:  
also i’m mega proud of you

[1:08 PM JST] Suga:  
our daichi is growing up so fast (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

[11:08 PM EST] Daichi:  
I was a little nervous it wouldn’t be enough… but I think he had a good time.

[1:08 PM JST] Suga:  
i’m sure he did

[1:09 PM JST] Suga:  
who wouldn’t have a good time on an amazing date with my handsome and sweet best friend?

[11:09 PM EST] Daichi:  
I don’t know if it was a date.

[1:10 PM JST] Suga:  
close enough (^_−)☆

~~~~~~

The week after Kuroo’s birthday was Thanksgiving. Neither Daichi nor Kuroo had really celebrated American Thanksgiving before but were pretty excited to see what all of the hype was about.

They had gone food shopping a few days prior for supplies, Kuroo insisting they take a cab back and that he come along to help carry the heavy bags. Daichi had picked up a roasting pan, turkey, and ingredients for the main course. When confronted with the big decision of “mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes?” Kuroo had looked so upset at having to choose that Daichi promised to make both. Daichi also selected necessary ingredients to make way more side dishes than was necessary: gravy, cranberry sauce, garlic bread, and stuffing. And of course, pumpkin pie.

The fridge was completely full by the time that Thursday rolled around.

On Tuesday, they had called Bokuto to invite him over for the holiday, as he was set to finish filming the next week and would be heading back to Japan. Kuroo set the phone on speakerphone.

“Are you guys going to check out the Macy’s Parade?” Bokuto had asked excitedly.

“Actually we were wondering about that…” Kuroo's voice trailed off.

“It’s always so crowded. It starts at 9, but they said to get a good view, you have to get out there before 6:30 in the morning.” Daichi said.

“Oya oya, that’s EARLY,” Bokuto complained.

“Oya oya oya,” Kuroo piped up. “But we should do it if we really want to?”

“I agree,” Daichi said, looking over at Kuroo. “It’ll be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Let’s pick the closest spot from the apartment so that we can get to and from easily.”

They decided they didn’t need to watch the whole parade, but just an hour or two would be sufficient. That would give Daichi enough time to prepare the turkey for a mid/late afternoon meal. They also agreed that the most exciting thing to see would be the floats so maybe they didn’t need to get out there THAT early.

They hung up the phone with Bokuto, the air buzzing with anticipation.

When the day arrived, Bokuto met them at their apartment bright and early dressed in an oversized coat, scarf, gloves, large sunglasses, and hat. He held out an apple pie. “For dessert!” he said happily.

Kuroo donned a similar outfit, layers under a heavy jacket, wrapping his new red scarf around his neck loosely.

After putting the apple pie in the refrigerator, Daichi returned to the foyer and started giggling.

“What?” Kuroo and Bokuto wore matching puzzled expressions.

“It’s just — no wonder you guys don’t get recognized on the streets even when you’re together — because you both hide your signature hair so well.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know that I am known for more than my hair,” Kuroo asserted.

“Not going to go into Tetsubro’s perpetual bedhead but mine is carefully curated and styled. Or, well, it is when I’m not trying to hide my identity. It’s dyed this way on purpose and is soft too.” Bokuto leaned down. “Here ‘mura, you can feel it.”

Daichi hesitated before patting Bokuto on the head lightly.

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Kuroo cut in. He pulled Daichi by the arm. “Come on Daichi, let’s get you all dressed up for the cold weather.”

To complete the trio, Daichi wore sunglasses and a hat too, in addition to his fluffy coat and winter accessories.

They made their way out onto the streets of New York City. “I cannot believe how crowded it is,” Bokuto whined as they found a place behind hordes of tourists.

“At least we’re tall and can see better,” Kuroo said in an attempt to placate. “Daichi, do you want to sit on my shoulders?”

“Oh stop,” Daichi countered. “I can see just as well as either of you. The floats are all I really care to see!”

After about a half hour of watching the floats go by, they unanimously decided to leave the claustrophobic streets. Pushing their way through the crowds, they made their way back to the warmth of the apartment.

Kuroo turned the TV on and navigated to the broadcast of the parade, settling on the end of the couch. “Geez, it’s better to just watch this on TV rather than fight with the hordes of people and the cold,” he remarked.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Daichi said, making his way over. “But now at least we can all say we did it… for a measly half hour.”

Bokuto draped himself across the couch and Kuroo. “I am so exhausted,” he groaned. “Ooh but look!! It’s Pikachu!!”

Daichi and Kuroo looked at each other and chuckled.

~~~~~~

“I’ll do the dishes!” Bokuto announced at dinner.

“Absolutely not, you are our guest,” Daichi said sternly. “Plus, we can just use the dishwasher.”

Kuroo shrugged. “What he said. Bo, just go take a nap after this, you’ll probably need it from the tryptophan.”

“Aww, bro, you’re supposed to be on my side!”

“I don’t take sides,” Kuroo winked. “Plus, I have to live here, don’t you forget.”

“Ha ha,” Daichi said dryly, though the corner of his lips twitched a little.

After stuffing themselves silly over the Thanksgiving feast, the three boys retreated to the living room.

Bokuto requested a few rounds of Mario Kart. “I really want to beat you bro,” he declared, sitting on the floor in front of the TV.

“Tough luck,” Kuroo shot back. “I’ve had plenty of practice with Kenma in the past.”

On the character selection screen, Daichi chose Rosalina in a flash, and Kuroo Ludwig.

Bokuto ended up selecting Waluigi. “I’m gonna knock everyone over!”

Kuroo smirked. “Just you try. I don’t think Waluigi can knock Rosalina over.”

“Oho ho, did you choose that koopa because of his wild hair?” Bokuto asked, stifling a laugh.

“Hey! No!” Kuroo denied. “I think it’s cool he’s named after Beethoven. I might not be musically inclined, as Daichi likes to remind me, but I can appreciate the greats.”

They started easy with the Mushroom Cup. During Moo Moo Meadows, Bokuto started asking more questions.

“Wait a second, wait a second. Don’t you guys know Rosalina’s back story?” Bokuto’s tone was innocent. “Seriously. Isn’t she like WITH Ludwig? Romantically?”

Kuroo almost swerved into a cow. “Bo, did that turkey go to your brain? Where did that come from?”

“I’m serious, bro! I read up about Rosalina when she was announced as a new character.”

“I love her character design,” Daichi chimed in, biting his lip in concentration. “The Lumas are so cute! But I don’t think I know anything about her backstory.”

Kuroo won the first cup with Daichi a close second.

“Look here, it says on Mario Kart wikipedia! Rosalina had a huge crush on Ludwig von Koopa and they started dating when both of them were nine.” Bokuto read cheerily.

“No way, let me see that,” Kuroo reached over.

 _What even are the odds that even my Mario Kart character is in love with Kuroo’s?_ Daichi thought, shaking his head. He plastered on a neutral expression.

Once they all digested this newfound knowledge, they played the Special Cup where Bokuto got his revenge, winning the cup after knocking Kuroo off of Rainbow Road multiple times. “I’ve been practicing all of the Rainbow Roads,” he boasted.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kuroo muttered. “Next time I’m playing as Bowser so you can’t ram me off the edge.”

“We’ll get Bokuto with shells next time we do Rainbow Road,” Daichi promised, rubbing circles on Kuroo’s back soothingly.

Feeling tired from the excitement of the day, they settled back and threw on a superhero movie that was playing. Daichi sat on one end of the couch, while Bokuto sprawled out on the floor cushions, eyes getting heavy. Kuroo gingerly settled next to Daichi.

“Do you mind if I lay down?” Kuroo asked, glancing over to his roommate.

“No, not at all. Make yourself comfy.”

Kuroo shifted his body sideways so that his head was learning against Daichi’s leg, his legs bent over the end of the couch.

“That doesn’t look very comfortable,” Daichi commented. He grabbed a throw pillow and put it on his lap. “Here, move your head here.”

“You sure?” Kuroo asked, looking up at Daichi.

Daichi nodded.

Slowly, Kuroo readjusted so that he was laying on the pillow on top of Daichi’s legs. His face burned a little thinking of those thighs under the cushion.

Bokuto turned over to face them instead of the TV, leaning on his elbow. “You guys are cute.”

Daichi flushed a spectacular shade of crimson and coughed.

“Bo!!” Kuroo hissed.

“What? It’s true. Anyway, my filming is wrapping up this weekend so I’ll be leaving this party and heading back to Japan. I had a blast hanging out with you guys!”

“You bet, Bo, anytime. We’re buddies.” They fist bumped.

“I’m glad I met you too, ‘mura. Keep an eye on Tetsubro and take care of him okay?”

Daichi smiled. “Of course.”

Bokuto turned back around to focus on the movie.

“Bo, let me know how things go when you go back though. Good luck. You know, with Akaashi?”

Bokuto hummed in agreement without turning around. “I’ll do my best.”

Not long thereafter, both Bokuto and Kuroo were fast asleep.

Daichi patted Kuroo’s hair down gently. _So handsome._ His thoughts went back to the events earlier that day. Kuroo had insisted on helping out at least a little in the kitchen so Daichi had put him charge of chopping the vegetables and mashing the potatoes once they were cooked enough.

They kept bumping into each other in the small space; at one point Kuroo had steadied Daichi by the waist to ensure he wouldn’t trip. At another, he had done his typical tousling of Daichi’s hair, getting it all wet from freshly washed hands. He had gotten real up close and personal to inspect how Daichi was preparing the turkey. A little too close.

Being next to Kuroo while trying to keep control of his feelings had been even harder than ever before.

He reminded himself that he was one of thousands who had fallen for this beautiful actor. But a little voice inside of him, that sounded suspiciously like Suga’s, also reminded him that he was one of the only people that knew Kuroo so well. Kuroo was more than what he portrayed in dramas, and he was more than what paparazzi and news outlets saw and painted of him.

Daichi was thankful that there was a little bit of Kuroo that he had all to himself, for this little bit of time, but he would probably always be a little jealous of the rest of the world that had a little bit of Kuroo too.

***

[10:42 PM EST] Daichi:  
First Thanksgiving!

[10:42 PM EST] Daichi:  
*image attached*

[12:43 PM JST] Suga:  
wow that’s a ton of food

[12:43 PM JST] Suga:  
did you guys eat all of that lol

[10:44 PM EST] Daichi:  
No way! We had Bokuto over too but we still had lots of leftovers.

[12:44 PM JST] Suga:  
aww you’re not still jealous are you

[10:45 PM EST] Daichi:  
I think they’re just friends. I’m trying to live and enjoy every moment I have with him.

[12:46 PM JST] Suga:  
good

[12:46 PM JST] Suga:  
so when are you gonna do something about this?

[10:46 PM EST] Daichi:  
Uh well, not anytime soon. I can’t even think about that because of finals coming up.

[12:47 PM JST] Suga:  
mmhmm…

[12:47 PM JST] Suga:  
well after finals you won’t have any excuses

[12:47 PM JST] Suga:  
are you both staying there over Christmas break through New Years?

[10:48 PM EST] Daichi:  
Yeah, I just talked to my parents about it. They’re a little sad but understand. Flights are so expensive and adjusting to the time difference for just a few weeks is tough. I promised to video chat and stuff.

[10:49 PM EST] Daichi:  
But more importantly, Tetsu said he was going to stay here, and I didn’t want him to be alone.

[12:49 PM JST] Suga:  
daichi you’re so sweet (⺣◡⺣)♡*

[12:49 PM JST] Suga:  
i wish that i could see you over the break but

[12:50 PM JST] Suga:  
i’ll be thinking of you and hoping that something good happens between the two of you ｛·ω-*}

[12:50 PM JST] Suga:  
kuroo is so lucky to have you

~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daichi had marked Kuroo’s birthday on his phone calendar, set a reminder, and marked it on his paper calendar. There was no way he would have forgotten!
> 
> Usually lines to skate around Bryant Park are super long, but I saw that due to the pandemic this year they started doing advanced tickets. So here's to hoping they continue that trend for everybody's sanity.
> 
> I lived in New York for so many years and I had never been to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in person, lol. It's always so cold and crowded!
> 
> Chapter title from jay-z & alicia keys' "empire state of mind"
> 
> In the next chapter: It's finals season and Kuroo gets a little jealous


	6. i want to wake up in a city that never sleeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Finals season, Kuroo is hit with a bout of jealousy, the roommates explore New York City during the holiday season *_*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a bit of writer's block for a few days, couldn't even edit let alone write... but I was hit with some inspiration yesterday because of Christmas Eve. I cleaned it up and split the new content into two chapters, so enjoy!! Happy Holidays everyone! And for those who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas! ·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

**December**

After Thanksgiving, the loom of finals (and final project due dates) was upon them. Both of the roommates had kept up fairly well all semester with their coursework and studying, but now that finals were a week and a half away, some days slipped away as if they were two ships passing in the night.

One afternoon, Kuroo returned from a half day study session day to find a stranger sitting at the kitchen table with Daichi. The stranger was sitting closer to Daichi than Kuroo would’ve liked, face poring over some of Daichi’s notes.

“Oh, Tetsu! Welcome home. This is my lab partner, Terushima Yuuji. How was your study session at the library?”

“It was good,” Kuroo said, his eyes glued to this lab partner, whose head swiveled up to meet his gaze.

“Yuuji realized we had missed some important pieces of the project so he called me up. Can you believe how crazy it is right now? We could’t find any space at our normal study spaces or at the library, so I invited him back here. It was good you went out early. I hope you got a nice quiet spot.”

Terushima Yuuji was still staring at Kuroo, mouth now slightly agape. “I cannot believe it. Kuroo Tetsurou?”He stood to shake hands.

Kuroo stepped forward and took his hand. “The one and only.”

“Daichi, you didn’t tell me… I mean, wow.”

“I didn’t know you followed Japanese entertainment that closely,” Daichi’s brow was puzzled, as his eyes jumped from his roommate to his lab mate.

“Well you’re kind of right. Since I grew up here in America, I didn’t have that much exposure to Japanese entertainment until recently. My mom watched special Japanese TV channels on cable but I never really saw much because it was when I was at school during the day. She absolutely loves you though, man. All I was hearing for months straight was ‘Kuroo Tetsurou’ this, ‘Kuroo Tetsurou’ that. You nailed that last school drama you did.”

Kuroo scratched the back of his neck and looked away, a little embarrassed by the praise. “Thank you. It means a lot to me when people enjoy what I do.”

“She’s pretty bummed that you took a year off but I guess it all makes sense that you did this.”

“Yeah, acting and having tutors is fine and all but I kind of just wanted to live the college experience for a bit, you know?”

Terushima nodded vigorously.

“Speaking of studying… I’ll let you two get back to it,” Kuroo said, heading to grab some water from the fridge.

“We were going to order in today, is that okay Tetsu? This is taking longer than expected and I don’t know that I can prepare dinner.”

“I can prepare dinner today, Daichi…” Kuroo rummaged around the fridge. “I think I can handle making steak after you showed me how the last time.”

“Yeah, okay, sure. Is that okay with you, Yuuji?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me, I don’t have to stay…” Terushima replied, looking between them.

“No, it’s no trouble at all. We should have enough, and we might still have a few hours of work ahead of us,” Daichi reassured him.

Kuroo checked to make sure he had all of the ingredients needed then retreated to his room, letting them know he’d start cooking in about an hour.

~~~~~~

That hour was extremely stressful for Kuroo. He wasn’t even sure why. His blood had begun to boil watching Terushima interact with his roommate.

He had left his bedroom door slightly ajar, and he could see them at the table if he looked out the crack of the door. Any attempts at studying were foiled by his racing mind and his traitorous body that kept getting up to peep at the lab partners.

Daichi’s hearty laugh when Terushima cracked a joke.

Daichi leaning over to decipher something Terushima had scribbled into the corner of his notebook.

Daichi talking about some former lab experiments and Terushima’s sly smile in response.

Terushima stealing glances at Daichi out of the corner of his eye, when Daichi wasn’t looking. This happened on numerous occasions: when Daichi was deep in thought tapping his pen against his head, typing away on his laptop with a serious expression, checking something on his phone, flipping through his reading materials.

Kuroo slammed his textbook shut, seething.

Kuroo knew Daichi had classmates and friends outside of him, but he had never been so rudely confronted with it right in his safe space.

***

[5:22 PM EST] Kuroo:  
daichi’s stupid lab partner is here

[5:22 PM EST] Kuroo:  
keeps staring at daichi when there’s no reason to

[5:22 PM EST] Kuroo:  
i don’t like him

~~~~~~

Kuroo came back out to the kitchen after forty minutes, feigning hunger so he could get started earlier on cooking.

As he prepared the steaks, some simple stir fry vegetables, and baked potatoes, his mind and eyes kept drifting over to the duo at the table. He hummed a tune to himself, pretending that everything was just fine.

At one point, Daichi found an answer they had been looking for. Terushima high-fived Daichi and playfully bumped him on the shoulder. “Nice job, partner!”

Kuroo choked on his own saliva and had a mild coughing fit. He secretly smirked once his coughs subsided, as Daichi had rushed from Terushima’s side to rub Kuroo’s back.

~~~~~~

Dinner was okay. The best part about it was when Daichi complimented Kuroo’s cooking.

“I learned from the best,” Kuroo replied, though obviously pleased.

“Oh, don’t be so humble,” Daichi exclaimed. “This is honestly really good. Did you use different spices than I did last time?”

“Just slightly! I looked up some tricks online.”

Terushima had also politely thanked Kuroo for the delicious dinner, and both of them for the hospitality. Kuroo noticed more staring and furtive glances during dinner, but instead of stewing on it, he channeled his energy into enhancing his quips and mild flirting game with his roommate. He would never get tired of Daichi’s crinkly eyed smile or cute laugh. Nor would he tire of Terushima’s obvious irritation whenever Daichi laughed at one of _his_ jokes.

After dinner, Kuroo calmly cleaned up as the other two boys finished up their final project assignment. He entertained himself around the kitchen until they finally completed their work.

“So glad we got this done so that we can now focus on studying for our other finals,” Daichi sighed in relief.

“Me too,” Terushima said, though his expression didn’t look quite as joyous.

“I’m sorry that took so long, Tetsu, thanks for making dinner and cleaning up,” Daichi said a little awkwardly after seeing Terushima out. “Don’t worry, I made Yuuji promise that he wouldn’t say anything about you being in New York.”

“Thanks Daichi.” He gave Daichi a side hug. “You’re the best.”

Daichi, a little pink, simply smiled.

“So, do you have any other finals you need to study for with Terushima?” Kuroo’s attempt at nonchalance likely failing miserably. Or perhaps successful if Daichi was still being his oblivious self.

“Nope, we’re actually on different tracks but happened to have this lab together. Most other people already had picked partners from their same major so we were paired together.”

“Good,” Kuroo said quietly.

“What?”

“Nothing~,” Kuroo said sweetly. “Want to sit on the cushions and I’ll give you a neck massage?”

“Really Tetsu?” A surprised expression was on Daichi’s face. “My neck’s in all sorts of knots from this project.”

“Mmm… I can tell. Come on and let me loosen you up.”

***

[9:29 AM JST] Kenma:  
you’re jealous

[9:29 AM JST] Kenma:  
just tell him already

[9:30 AM JST] Kenma:  
then you won’t need to be jealous anymore

[10:34 PM EST] Kuroo:  
ugh

[10:34 PM EST] Kuroo:  
stupid kenma

[10:34 PM EST] Kuroo:  
you’re right

[10:35 PM EST] Kuroo:  
i was so jealous

[10:35 PM EST] Kuroo:  
he kept looking at daichi and flirting with him

[10:35 PM EST] Kuroo:  
but he’s gone now and i have daichi all to myself <3

[12:38 PM JST] Kenma:  
hurry up and kiss him already

~~~~~~

The next few weeks passed in a hazy, stressful blur for most students. The end of finals couldn’t come soon enough.

Kuroo had his last final the day after Daichi had his, and returned home to a bottle of sparkling cider and Daichi waiting for him excitedly.

“Congrats Tetsu! How did it go?” Daichi stood up from the couch.

“I think it went well. Yours were all good?”

“Yeah, good enough,” Daichi smiled.

Before either boy knew what was happening, Kuroo had made his way over to Daichi and enveloped him in a hug.

“O-oooh,” Daichi squeaked in surprise. His arms dangled helplessly at his side, unsure whether to hug Kuroo back. He gingerly lifted his hands to clasp loosely around Kuroo’s firm back.

“I’m so glad finals are over,” Kuroo breathed, taking in the scent of Daichi, the softness of his sweater, the feeling of his strong shoulders and back underneath his fingers. Just then, he realized what had transpired. He leapt backwards out of Daichi’s arms and chuckled nervously. “Oh, sorry Daichi. I guess I really needed a hug after all of this craziness.”

“It’s okay,” Daichi laughed. “It’s been a rough few weeks. I think I kinda needed one too.”

“You can always ask for a hug when you need one, Daichi,” Kuroo teased. “Or if you ever just want one.”

“Okay, can I have another one then? Just for a few seconds,” Daichi’s eyes were imploring.

“Of course,” the taller boy hummed, pulling him into another warm embrace.

Daichi put his arms more securely around Kuroo this time, breathed in the clean smell of Kuroo mixed with fresh cool air, and rested his face into his roommate’s shoulders. His looked up and his breath caught in his throat. Kuroo’s eyes were closed and his lips were so close, for once not in its trademark smirk, but calm, relaxed, happy, almost taunting him.

Daichi forced his gaze away by shoving his face back into Kuroo’s shoulder.

Daichi tried to ignore the warm fuzzy feeling in his heart and the butterflies roaming his stomach.

Kuroo tried to ignore his racing thoughts and how comfortable Daichi felt curled up against him- like a missing puzzle piece.

Neither was very successful.

~~~~~~

Having a few weeks off until the next semester of classes was like a breath of fresh air to the boys. And the best part was that they got to explore New York City during the holiday season.

—

They watched tourists skate around the famous Rockefeller Center ice skating rink by the famous Christmas tree.

Daichi’s eyes shined as he watched the skaters go round and round. He turned to ask Kuroo a question and found his roommate watching him with an unreadable expression.

“Everything okay, Tetsu?”

Kuroo plastered his patented smirk on his face. “I’m with you so of course it is,” he answered brightly.

"Oy. You are insufferable sometimes," Daichi said, though he couldn't hide the smile from his voice. He turned his attention back to the rink.

—

They visited the Nintendo Store, which was all decked out in Christmas decorations. The air was full of shouts and excitement, kids yelling and cheering while playing Mario Kart on a life-size screen.

“But I want to play too!” Kuroo whined. Daichi pointed to the long line of children waiting and raised his eyebrow.

Pouting, Daichi led Kuroo away into the shopping area instead. Kuroo spent a while choosing, but finally selected two exclusive New York City plushies- one for Kenma and one for Bokuto. Daichi picked up a few special toys for his younger twin siblings.

—

They hit up a few of the best New York pizza spots from Manhattan to Brooklyn. “I’m never going to be able to eat pizza again in Japan,” Daichi said sadly.

“Same,” Kuroo commiserated, wiping his mouth. “Wanna order another one?”

—

They watched the light show on the side of Saks 5th Avenue once the cold temperatures and darkness set in. Daichi might’ve stood a little closer than necessary to leech some of Kuroo’s body heat. If Kuroo had also leaned in himself, it was totally his subconscious.

They walked down 5th Avenue, pointing out all of the cute Christmas displays in the shops and in the streets.

—

They went to Serendipity III for dinner and frozen hot chocolate. “The food was just okay,” Daichi said, disappointment apparent in his tone.

“Agreed,” Kuroo nodded. “Next time we can just come for dessert.”

—

Multiple small snowfalls during the month of December coated New York in a beautiful light layer of white.

—

They walked through the Macy’s Christmas window display slowly. At least three times. “Look how detailed it is!” Daichi gushed. “Aww look, that one is so cute!”

“I see,” Kuroo murmured, eyes on Daichi and not the display.

They then went into Macy’s and took photos with the giant Christmas bears wearing Santa hats.

—

They explored the Met Cloisters museum. They spent a few hours taking in the beauty of the European medieval style landmark.

Wreaths and fresh greenery decorated the exhibits. Leftover snow glistened in the sunlight, adding to the holiday atmosphere.

They took photos in the outside garden with a beautiful view of the Hudson River.

Kuroo wrapped his arms around himself instinctively as the cool wind blew. Daichi, who can sometimes be observant, grabbed Kuroo’s hands with his own, rubbing them to warm them up.

Kuroo smiled and thanked Daichi gratefully, fingers tingling from more than just the cold.

—

They traveled to Flushing for amazing pork soup buns. “These are out of this world,” Kuroo smacked his lips in satisfaction, causing Daichi to giggle.

“Absolutely insane. Let’s come back again. But let’s place another order for today. Can you eat a few more?”

“Hell yes I can. Even if it means we have to go an extra lap around the park tomorrow.” They flagged down a waiter.

—

They walked the Brooklyn Bridge, sure to don extra heavy coats, hats and gloves. “This is like straight out of a movie,” Daichi said, looking around.

“It’s better than a movie,” Kuroo said, throwing an arm around Daichi. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” as he flashed a megawatt smile.

Daichi thought he’d be immune to these kinds of things by now but still, he blushed.

—

They continued their morning runs, of course, bundled up in as many breathable layers as they had. Prince Waddle and his harem were still up to mischief, bossing the mated mallard ducks around the duck pond.

Some of the mallard ducks ventured bravely up to Daichi and Kuroo.

One female mallard took to pecking Daichi’s shoe with her bill.

“Aww. I’m sorry sweetie,” Daichi apologized as he hurriedly moved his foot.

“See, who needs fame when the ducks love _you_ ,” Kuroo brushed his hair back under his hat and winked.

“She probably just thought there was food on my shoe.”

“It’s still cute. And sweet.”

The ducks watched them as they left the pond and began their stroll back to the apartment.

—

They decorated their apartment with a small tree complete with a few sets of Christmas lights and a trio of small Macy’s Christmas bears in a penguin, reindeer, and snowman costume.

~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo, you're kind of an open book... lol.  
> Chapter title from Frank Sinatra's "New York"


	7. forget regret or life is yours to miss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys enjoy Christmas together *_*  
> ❄∘⁖⁎⋆ᶿ̴̤᷇ ˒̫ ᶿ̴̤᷆⋆ᶿ̤᷇ ˓̫ ᶿ̤᷆⋆✶⁎∘❄

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who celebrate it... Merry Christmas ᒄ₍⁽ˆ⁰ˆ⁾₎ᒃ♪♬

A few days before Christmas, a heavier overnight snowstorm covered the streets of New York City, transforming it into a picturesque Winter Wonderland.

~~~~~~

Christmas Day rolled around sooner than expected, weeks off from school passing in what felt like the blink of an eye. On the evening of the previous night, both had spent a good amount of time on video chat with their respective families, as it had already been Christmas in Japan.

Daichi had gone to sleep late, wired after the video chat. He awoke to the smells and sounds of a hearty breakfast being prepared. Kuroo prepared hot steaming mugs of coffee and homemade waffles topped with whipped cream, syrup, and fresh fruit. He sang Christmas carols in the kitchen joyfully while donning a Santa hat, though his trademark hair still flopped into one eye.

“Merry Christmas, Daichi.” Kuroo set the food down and handed his roommate a napkin.

“Merry Christmas, Tetsu. This looks amazing.”

“Originally, I wanted to deliver you breakfast in bed,” Kuroo drawled, after Daichi started digging in.

“Oh stop, Tetsu,” Daichi said, almost choking on a strawberry.

“Aww, but you're so cute when you're embarrassed, Daichi,” Kuroo grinned.

Just then Daichi stopped and pointed to the window. “Tetsu, it’s snowing again!” Large wet flakes of snow were starting to fall, coating the window in white, dissolving into droplets.

After breakfast, they dressed in warm layers and started pulling on boots to go traipsing through the snow.

Tetsu ducked into to his room to grab something. “Ta-da!” he announced from his doorway. He was holding a volleyball.

“Volleyball in the snow?” Daichi asked incredulously.

“Well, at the least we can try to bump it back and forth?”

They headed over to Central Park sans sunglasses today, as the snow made it too messy, and found an open field, new snow glittering and shimmering in the sun. There were not too many people around, most walking on the trails away from them to avoiding the fields of snow covered grass.

“Okay, here goes,” Kuroo declared. He attempted to bump the volleyball to Daichi, but with his large winter coat and thick gloves on, it did not go as far as expected and flopped sadly on the snow between them.

“Maybe we should do this when it’s not quite so cold,” Daichi said, laughing. He picked up the volleyball and wiped the snow off. Snow continued to fall, creating a layer of white atop his winter hat.

“Well it was worth a shot,” Kuroo said, disappointment clouding his voice.

“It’ll be better when we don’t have gloves and winter coats on,” Daichi’s tone was reassuring. He nudged Kuroo’s side. “Come on, let’s go sit on that cute little bench for a bit instead.”

They pushed the snow off the park bench and sat down, view of a quaint stone bridge in the distance and snow-capped trees surrounding them.

Daichi looked up and exhaled, breath visible in the cold air. He turned and found Kuroo watching him, hazel eyes telling an indecipherable story. A few locks of hair had fallen out of his hat again, brushing against Kuroo’s eyebrow and moving gracefully in the wind.

“Hey,” Daichi said softly.

“Hey.”

Daichi licked his lips nervously, heart pounding.

Kuroo averted his gaze, setting his gloved hands in his lap and the volleyball on the seat next to him.

“Hey,” Daichi repeated. “Oh. You have a snowflake on your eyelash, Tetsu.”

Kuroo looked back over to his roommate and blinked.

“It’s still there,” Daichi said. “It’s pretty. Can I take a picture?”

Kuroo held his breath as Daichi fumbled with his phone after removing his gloves. He snapped a photo and showed it to Kuroo. “See?”

“Mmm,” Kuroo answered, leaning into Daichi’s shoulder. “That’s a nice picture.”

“It is,” Daichi said, studying it some more before putting his phone back in his pocket.

“You know what’s a nicer picture?” Kuroo asked, daring to get even closer.

Daichi looked back at Kuroo. The snowflake had melted, leaving Kuroo’s eyelashes glittery. He swore Kuroo’s eyes sparkled in that moment.

“What?” Daichi breathed, eyes locked on his roommate’s lips.

“You.” Kuroo leaned into the negative space between them, mouth hovering in front of Daichi’s, as if seeking permission. His eyes searched Daichi’s affectionately.

Daichi closed the gap and their lips met in a cold chaste kiss.

Kuroo touched Daichi’s face with his gloved hand and Daichi shivered from the cold wet glove.

“Oh, sorry,” Kuroo broke away to apologize. He fidgeted with his glove.

Daichi made an impatient sound, raised Kuroo’s chin back to his level and captured Kuroo in another kiss, deepening it this time. Cool wet snowflakes landed haphazardly, melting on their skin and sliding down their faces. Kuroo finally wrenched his glove off, cupping Daichi’s cheek gently. His bare hand was warm and inviting. Mouths moving against each other, Daichi let out a little moan.

Embarrassed, Daichi pulled back and looked off in the distance, attempting to slow his breathing.

“Where are you going, Dai?” Kuroo’s smiled crookedly, eyes twinkling. He pulled Daichi’s thighs onto his lap so they were facing each other.

“It’s just… it’s cold. And I want more of you and less of all this winter gear. Um, can’t we continue this in the warmth of our home?”

“Good call. My face does feel a little numb.” Kuroo laughed, gave Daichi a kiss on the nose, stood, and grabbed his glove and the volleyball.

Daichi grabbed a pair of sunglasses from his coat pocket, handing them to Kuroo.

“Put these on. I don’t want to get stopped by anyone right now.” Daichi’s mouth was a little tight.

“Everything okay?”

“I just want to get home as quickly as possible.”

Something flashed in Kuroo’s gaze. “I agree. Let’s go.” He grabbed Daichi’s hand and they speed-walked to the closest subway station.

~~~~~~

“You have no idea how long I wanted to do that,” Kuroo said quietly in the empty subway car. They were seated next to each other, gloved hands interlocked on Kuroo’s lap, Kuroo’s sunglasses sitting atop his winter hat for the ride.

Daichi pressed his side into Kuroo’s. “You weren’t the only one.” He pressed his lips together. “I hoped that maybe… but I never thought you’d…”

“Be into you?” Kuroo asked. “How could I not? You are handsome, smart, sweet, caring, and can cook a mean meal. A sexy chef with killer thighs. My question is how _you_ were still single when we met.”

Daichi blushed. “Suga’s told me before that I am dense and never knew when anyone was flirting with me. But with you, I hoped you were.”

“I was,” Kuroo whispered. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as good as you, Daichi.” He leaned over to kiss Daichi on the cheek.

“I liked it better when you called me Dai before,” Daichi murmured. He turned and stole Kuroo’s lips instead. “You’re a good kisser,” Daichi mumbled when they broke away.

“Yeah, because you are too,” Kuroo smiled and swept a lock of Daichi’s hair back under his hat. “Even in kissing we complement each other perfectly.”

Daichi nestled his head into Kuroo’s neck and breathed in the scent he would never tire of.

“I was jealous of Terushima,” Kuroo said abruptly.

“What?” Daichi lifted his head, his expression disbelieving.

“He was staring at you and I didn’t like it,” Kuroo sulked.

“Awww. Seriously? Is that why you were pulling out all the stops that day? Honestly, I had no idea he was staring or anything, if he even was.”

Kuroo kissed Daichi softly on the top of his head.

“I guess Suga was right. You are dense when people like you.”

Daichi swatted at Kuroo, but unable to deny the allegation.

“Well, if we’re being truthful now…” Daichi’s voice trailed off.

“Hmm?”

“When I was watching your last drama, I was super jealous of your relationship with Bokuto. I even looked at the Bokuroo tag,” Daichi covered his face with his hands.

Kuroo broke out into hysterics. “Oh my god.”

“Hey.” Daichi’s face was red.

“It’s just… it’s just,” Kuroo caught his breath. “Sorry, Dai. I’m not laughing at you. it’s just super funny because Bo and I skimmed the tag once and we literally gave ourselves an ab workout from laughing so hard. I mean, we’re flattered and are beyond grateful for our fans. And we do love each other. Just not like that.”

“Anyway, once I met him and saw more real interactions between you two, it got better,” Daichi confessed softly. “It seems you guys just have a legendary bromance going on.”

“That about sums up me and Bo,” Kuroo agreed. “But probably also how you could describe your friendship with Suga?”

“I guess so,” Daichi mused.

Kuroo cleaned the sunglasses off and set them over his eyes, pulling Daichi up as the subway car slowed to a halt. “Come on Dai, it's our stop. I can’t wait much longer.” They exited the subway, one step closer to their destination.

~~~~~~

Back at home, after a mad dash to strip off all extra winter layers and an impromptu makeout session in the hallway where Daichi was pressed up against the wall and Kuroo greedily kissed Daichi breathless, they retreated to the living room, fingers laced together.

Daichi turned on the television to an old Christmas classic. They settled in on the floor cushions, spooning lazily, Kuroo’s arms wrapped around Daichi’s stomach.

“Hey Tets,” Daichi said suddenly.

“Mmm, Dai,” Kuroo replied, the rumble of his voice tickling Daichi’s ear.

“Um… does this mean… we’re boyfriends?”

Kuroo giggled, arm shifting from its place to ruffle Daichi’s hair. “Of course it does, silly.”

“But… but… you’re Kuroo Tetsurou,” Daichi said quietly. “Doesn’t that make things difficult?”

Kuroo gently turned Daichi around and bopped him on the nose.

“It’s nobody’s business but our own,” Kuroo replied, hands back in Daichi’s hair to smooth it back down. “We’ll see how it goes, but I would rather have our relationship stay private for a little while anyway. As I feel all relationships should be.”

Daichi nodded. “Me too.” He brushed some stray hair out of Kuroo’s eye and kissed his eyelashes.

“We’ll make it work, Dai.” Kuroo promised, lips meeting in a heated kiss. Daichi squeezed one leg between his roommate’s (boyfriend’s!) as they tangled up in one another, lips and hands unable to get enough to satisfy.

Kuroo smiling against Daichi’s lips, breaking away to pepper kisses along Daichi’s neck —

A started gasp escaping Daichi’s mouth—

Daichi’s fingers intertwined in Kuroo’s hair —

Kuroo’s hands roaming Daichi’s back —

Daichi grabbing Kuroo by the hips —

Kuroo lavishing attention on Daichi’s thighs —

Kuroo biting his lip, unable to stop a whimper as Daichi’s mouth traversed a particularly sensitive area on his collarbone —

Hours passed in the span of what felt like minutes as the two boys explored each other tentatively, softly, wildly. Hearts full, they lay curled up in one another’s embrace as the din of an old Christmas movie played in the background.

~~~~~~

[8:12 PM EST] Kuroo:  
we kissed

[10:15 AM JST] Kenma:  
thank god

[8:16 PM EST] Kuroo:  
it was really good :D

[8:16 PM EST] Kuroo:  
he’s a good kisser

[8:16 PM EST] Kuroo:  
best Christmas ever

[10:17 AM JST] Kenma:  
merry christmas kuro

[10:17 AM JST] Kenma:  
i’m happy for u

[8:18 PM EST] Kuroo:  
merry belated christmas kenma

[8:18 PM EST] Kuroo:  
thanks for everything

~~~~~~

[8:13 PM EST] Kuroo:  
hey, late merry christmas bro

[10:14 AM JST] Bokuto:  
MERRY CHRISTMAS TETSUBRO

[10:14 AM JST] Bokuto:  
hows ‘mura?????

[8:14 PM EST] Kuroo:  
we kissed

[10:15 AM JST] Bokuto:  
WOOT WOOT!!!!

[10:15 AM JST] Bokuto:  
PROUD OF YOU BRO!!

[10:15 AM JST] Bokuto:  
YOU GUYS ARE REALLY CUTE TOGETHER

[8:17 PM EST] Kuroo:  
and you?

[10:18 AM JST] Bokuto:  
we’re gonna hang out on new year’s eve ;)

~~~~~~

[8:14 PM EST] Daichi:  
I know it’s tomorrow over there, but Merry Christmas Suga :)

[10:14 AM JST] Suga:  
merry christmas daichi!! video chat tomorrow?!

[8:14 PM EST] Daichi:  
Yes, let’s definitely. Want to meet Tetsu over video chat?

[10:15 AM JST] Suga:  
UM YES? NEED YOU EVEN ASK?

[8:15 PM EST] Daichi:  
So… something happened today.

[10:15 AM JST] Suga:  
??????????

[8:16 PM EST] Daichi:  
We kissed *_*

[8:16 PM EST] Daichi:  
At Central Park in the snow.

[10:16 AM JST] Suga:  
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[10:16 AM JST] Suga:  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[10:17 AM JST] Suga:  
(♥ω♥*)

[10:17 AM JST] Suga:  
seriously!? on christmas?!

[10:17 AM JST] Suga:  
(ᗒᗨᗕ)

[10:17 AM JST] Suga:  
you guys are TOO MUCH

[10:17 AM JST] Suga:  
AS IN TOO MUCH CUTE

[10:18 AM JST] Suga:  
you’ve destroyed me

[10:18 AM JST] Suga:  
details???? how was it?

[8:19 PM EST] Daichi:  
Really good.

[8:19 PM EST] Daichi:  
He’s an amazing kisser.

[8:19 PM EST] Daichi:  
It’s gonna be hard to share him when we go back to Japan. T_T

[8:20 PM EST] Daichi:  
But I’m going to suck it up. Because he’s worth it.

[10:20 AM JST] Suga:  
aahhhhh our daichi is all grown up now(´∀`)

[10:20 AM JST] Suga:  
i’m SOOOOO happy for you ♡´·ᴗ·`♡

[10:20 AM JST] Suga:  
i miss you so much

[10:21 AM JST] Suga:  
but i’m so glad you stayed there this christmas

[10:21 AM JST] Suga:  
you deserve all of the happiness in the world and more *ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊˚

~~~~~~

As Daichi was sending his last text to Suga, a knock sounded at his bedroom door.

He got up and opened the door with a sly smile. “Yes? What can I do for you?”

“Daiiiii,” Kuroo sniffled sadly. “Come back, I’m cold.”

“Oh you silly head. We both only stepped away for 10 minutes.”

“10 minutes is 10 minutes too long without you.” Kuroo opened his arms for a hug.

Daichi was only too happy to acquiesce. Bundled up in Kuroo’s arms, his heart pounded in his chest. He could feel Kuroo’s matching quick heartbeat through their sweaters, as he pressed a kiss into his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Want to lay in bed together and binge watch something before we go to sleep?” Daichi suggested.

“Hmm… your bed or mine?”

“Mine today, yours tomorrow?”

“Sounds good, since yours is closer,” Kuroo purred, pushing Daichi backwards into his bedroom.

They stumbled across the volleyball, in the middle of Daichi’s floor from where it had rolled earlier when they’d returned from their snowy adventure, and under the warm covers.

“We can sleep here all the time,” Kuroo inhaled, throwing the blanket over his head. “It smells so good.” He snuggled his head into Daichi’s chest as Daichi struggled to grab his laptop from the adjacent desk.

“No, I want to sleep in your bed too sometimes,” Daichi giggled. “Come here, you.” He slung the laptop onto the bed between Kuroo and the wall, and dove under the comforter to kiss Kuroo’s fluffy bedhead.

“Dai?”

“Mmm?”

“Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Tets.”

~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally!!!
> 
> Chapter title from one of my favorite songs in "Rent" - I love this musical and always think about it around the holidays
> 
> Updating the chapter count to 8- I think the next chapter will be the end, but if not there will just be a little epilogue afterwards. Thank you everyone who has been following this fic, it really means so much to me! Take care and stay safe this holiday season!


	8. measure your life in love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty much fluff... and them being cute... that's about it, lol. (A mini epilogue has a tiny bit of volleyball and some cameos!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Daichi (*´▽｀*) it's his birthday in Japan so I'm rolling with it!

The morning after Christmas, Kuroo awoke to the sound of soft rhythmic breathing and his head nestled into Daichi’s back as he spooned him from behind. Kuroo pressed a kiss to the back of Daichi’s back and hugged Daichi tighter before closing his eyes again.

“Tetsu?” a sleepy voice seemingly came out of nowhere.

“Oh! Morning, Daichi.”

“Mornin’, boyfriend,” Daichi mumbled, turning himself around to face Kuroo.

“Hey Dai.” Kuroo managed a smile, wrapping his arms back around Daichi.

Daichi brushed the hair out of Kuroo’s face and simply stared for a few moments.

“Umm… everything okay, Daichi? Are you still waking up?”

“No, aren’t I allowed to admire the view?”

Kuroo’s cheekbones were tinged with pink. “It’s too early for this, Dai, can’t I go brush my teeth?” he whined.

“Aww, self-conscious are we?” Daichi grinned.

Kuroo coughed. “A little.”

Daichi snuggled into Kuroo’s chest and pressed a few kisses into his sleep shirt before he relinquished his hold.

~~~~~~

After brushing their teeth and some more cuddling, the boys reluctantly gave in to their growling stomachs and climbed out of bed to start their day. After breakfast, they realized they had never exchanged the Christmas presents they’d gotten for each other, still sitting under the Christmas tree wrapped.

Their laughs rung out across the apartment when they found they’d both bought each other new running shoes and different running accessories.

“Your shoes are so beat up, I thought you needed a replacement,” Kuroo reasoned.

“Speak for yourself! It’s cute we both went the practical route this Christmas though. Ooh, I do love this insulated vest though, it looks fancy.”

“Yep, I got myself one too so we can match,” Kuroo winked. “It’s like a couple outfit!”

“I got us both light windbreakers which I think will layer over the vests real well when it’s cold…”

“It’s perfect. Can’t wait to try all of this new gear out together.”

“Here, why don’t you try it on now?” Daichi started pulling off Kuroo’s shirt.

“Hey, hey! Isn’t the windbreaker supposed to go over a base layer?”

“Oops,” Daichi smiled widely, obviously not sorry. “Well the one you have on is too loose.”

“You first.” Kuroo helped Daichi out of his long sleeved top. “You’re so cute, Dai,” Kuroo smirked, lifting Daichi’s chin up into a kiss and wrapping his arms around Daichi’s waist.

Daichi broke contact to finish pulling Kuroo out of his loose tee, before going back to business.

“Why did we even bother getting dressed anyway?” Daichi asked breathlessly between kisses, as he attempted to wriggle Kuroo’s pajama pants off.

~~~~~~

That evening, Daichi had a video chat scheduled with Suga.

***8:02 PM EST / 10:02 AM JST***  
***INCOMING VIDEO CALL FROM SUGAWARA KOUSHI***

“Daichi!” Suga’s face took a few seconds to come into focus. He was in his bedroom at home, laying on his stomach in bed.

“Hey Suga.”

“Is now still a good time?”

Daichi nodded.

“So… how’s it going?” Suga waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Suga!” Daichi lowered his voice instinctively. “Well, it’s great. More than great. It's better than ever.”

“Awwww. You look so happy. Idon’t think I’ve ever seen you this exuberant before, not even when we won some tough matches in our senior year.”

A faint knock sounded from Daichi’s video.

“Ahhhhh!!! Is it time, Daichi?! I don’t know if I’m ready?!”

A second face appeared beside Daichi’s. “Hey hey hey! So you must be the illustrious Suga-san that I’ve heard so much about.”

Suga sat up so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. “Just Suga is fine. And oh my god. Hello! Kuroo Tetsurou!!! I’m sorry! I don’t know what to say, I shouldn’t be surprised, Daichi’s shown me photos, but like… you’re real!”

Kuroo laughed. “Sure am.” He turned and gave Daichi a kiss on the cheek.

“AHHHHHHH,” Suga wailed through the video chat. “You two are so cute. I am so happy for both of you. Kuroo, I know you know this already but Daichi is such a good guy. Please take care of him for me.”

“You have my word, Suga,” Kuroo said, smiling.

“So, anything you want to know about Daichi that he won’t tell you? We’ve been best friends since high school after all.”

“Oh yes, please tell me some funny stories! Isn’t that what we’d normally get to do if I went home with him around Christmas?”

Daichi groaned. “Nooo, stop you guys. This is so embarrassing.”

“We just love you, Daichi,” Suga said, glee apparent in his voice. “Well, has Daichi ever told you about his aversion to basketball just because we had to fight over gym space with the basketball team in high school? One time Daichi even set off the fire alarm when he got into an argument with their team captain during lunch…”

~~~~~~

Five minutes later, Daichi’s head was in his hands as Suga and Kuroo shared another good laugh.

“No, but in all seriousness, Daichi has always had a heart of gold. He bought the underclassmen on our team meat buns after practice more often than not. He lost a tooth during a volleyball match and went unconscious… but then immediately came back to play in the next match later that afternoon. He can sometimes be dense but he’s the definition of faithful, honest, and true,” Suga finished, a little tearfully.

“Oh, Suga,” Daichi’s tone was emotional as he looked back at the screen.

“I know, Daichi, I miss you too!! So, Kuroo. Do you have any exciting celebrity gossip that you could share? I promise I won’t tell a soul,” Suga asked, eyes twinkling.

Kuroo snorted. “Well, I honestly don’t keep up much with the gossip but Bo does, so we should all get together sometime when we’re back in Japan.”

“That would be so much fun! Even without any gossip, I would love to meet him sometime. Oh, Kuroo. Did Daichi ever tell you that one of our volleyball underclassmen became a middle blocker because of you?”

“I don’t think so,” Kuroo answered slowly.

“It’s true! And he was really good at it. You were amazing at volleyball, Kuroo. Do you ever miss it?”

“Every day,” Kuroo said a little sadly.

“I do too,” Suga agreed. “Maybe we can all play volleyball sometime when we get together too.”

“I’d love that,” Kuroo said with a dazzling smile.

“Me three,” Daichi chimed in. He gave Kuroo a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Okay okay lovebirds!! I can read between the lines! I’ll let you get back to doing what lovebirds do,” Suga said laughing.

“No that’s alright, Suga, did you want to talk about anything else in particular? I hope everything is good back at home?” Daichi asked.

“No no, I’m good! And everything is good! I’ll catch you up on our crazy teammates later. Let’s video chat again next week or something!”

“Sounds like a plan,” Daichi smiled.

“So nice to finally meet you, Kuroo!”

“So good to meet you too, Suga.”

“Remember to take care of Daichi!”

“Always,” Kuroo promised, pulling Daichi close.

~~~~~~

The next few days went by faster than expected, the boyfriends enjoying not being tied to a schedule. Kuroo asked Daichi to prepare an overnight bag for the ringing in of the new year but refused to say anything more on the subject no matter how much Daichi prodded.

When New Year’s Eve rolled around, Daichi was greeted with true breakfast in bed with kisses and cuddles for dessert. “For the birthday boy,” Kuroo had cooed.

Kuroo had planned an entire day’s worth of events starting with a hole-in-the-wall ramen restaurant for lunch, visiting Daichi’s museum of choice (he chose the Guggenheim as he had always wanted to walk through the amazing structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright), and then their secret evening outing.

After getting back from the museum, Daichi finished packing his duffel and met Kuroo in the kitchen to grab his water bottle. On the kitchen table was a pair of new plushies: a small Rosalina and Ludwig, Rosalina’s arm cradling Ludwig’s.

Daichi burst into laughter. “I love it, Tetsu. Is that supposed to be us?”

“Think of it what you will. I couldn’t help myself when I saw them at the Nintendo Store,” Kuroo smirked.

Donning their usual multiple winter layers plus secret agent sunglasses, they were ready to embark on their adventure. Kuroo pulled down Daichi’s hat to cover his ears and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Ready?”

They got off at one of the 42nd Street stations.

“This feels like deja vu from _your_ birthday but um… you’re not crazy enough to be taking me to Times Square, right,” Daichi asked nervously. “I really don’t want to be in a claustrophobic crowd unable to go to the bathroom while freezing my ass off…”

Kuroo laughed. “I think if we wanted to watch the ball drop tonight from Times Square, we would’ve had to get there super early in the morning. So no. I wouldn’t let you suffer like that on your birthday, Dai.”

“How DO those people go to the bathroom? You know what, never mind, I don’t even want to know,” Daichi shuddered.

Kuroo led them to the side entrance of a hotel and smoothly checked them in for a reservation.

Daichi looked around in awe. “Uh, Tetsu… this is… like a really nice hotel. On New Year’s Eve. Do I even want to know how much this cost?”

“Happy birthday Dai,” Kuroo replied, eyes twinkling. “But you haven’t even seen our room yet.”

They got off the elevator and Kuroo unlocked their door with a swipe of the keycard.

it was a comfortable sized room with one queen-sized bed and a view of Times Square. There was a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries and bottle of sparkling cider sitting in ice on the desk.

“Oh my gosh, Tetsu, this is… too much,” Daichi said, taking everything in. “How in the world did you get this room? Shouldn’t this have been sold out ages ago?”

“So that’s the funny thing,” Kuroo busied himself putting his overnight bag on the couch and taking out his toiletries. “I actually booked this quite a while ago- like back when I first toyed with the idea of coming to New York to study abroad. I thought it’d be super cool to ring in the near year here in style and get an actual view of the ball drop.”

“Is that why there’s one queen bed?”

“I thought about calling in a favor and seeing if I could switch it to two beds, but then I decided against it. I liked you so much that I figured if I couldn’t confess before now… I would here,” Kuroo stopped unpacking and looked at Daichi.

Daichi strode over to Kuroo and enveloped him in a hug.

“I love it, Tetsu. I’m so happy you’re letting me share this with you.”

“Including the one bed?”

“Well, it’s not the first time so…”

Kuroo pressed a kiss to the top of Daichi’s head. “You’re so bold now Dai.”

“Oh stop, Tetsu.”

“No, I mean that as a compliment. It’s hot.”

Daichi pointedly ignored the sensation of his ears turning red and blew a bubble on Kuroo's neck.

“Hey!”

~~~~~~

There were no words to describe watching the ball drop from their very own window view in the warm comfort of a hotel. It was exceptionally cold that day, even moreso at night; they couldn’t imagine how the crowd could have waited all day in the cold.

Kuroo and Daichi lay cuddled up on the couch flush with the window, once in a while watching the masses outside, but mostly talking the night away, exchanging childhood stories, laughing, divulging secrets and fears.

As they got closer to midnight, they watched the countdown illuminated in in the night sky.

_“3… 2… 1… Happy New Year!!”_

Tuning out the screaming and cheering from Times Square, they shared a long, heartfelt kiss.

“This was the best birthday and new year’s ever, Tets,” Daichi said shyly.

“This is only the first of many more to come,” Kuroo shot back without missing a beat. “As long as you don’t get tired of me.”

“Stop it,” Daichi hit Kuroo in the shoulder. “How could I ever have enough of you.”

“Good. Me too.”

After a few more slow, languid kisses interrupted by ill-timed yawns, they retreated to the comfort of the bed. They settled back in against each other in a warm embrace. Hearts beating steadily as one, they fell asleep content and happy, while also excited about all of the adventures the world might have in stock for them in the new year.

~~~~~~

**EPILOGUE:**

**The following July**

**Tokyo**

Daichi, Suga, and Azumane Asahi emerged from the subway stop and walked a few blocks to a nondescript building. Daichi entered a keycode to let them in. Asahi, looking nervous, tripped over his feet before they reached the stairwell.

“Asahi! Don’t worry, it’s going to be so much fun!” Suga laughed.

“But… but they’re… are we really meeting with…?”

After climbing up a flight of stairs and walking down a dimly lit hallway, they reached a large studio room with high ceilings. A volleyball net had been set up, and a bin of volleyballs sat in the corner.

“Dai!!! You made it!” Kuroo came flying through the doorway and wrapped Daichi into a warm embrace.

“Tetsu. Missed you.” Daichi nuzzled his face into Tetsu’s shoulder.

Suga coughed. “Didn’t you guys just see each other this morning?” He tapped Kuroo on the shoulder. “Kuroo, this is Azumane Asahi, one of our best friends from high school. Asahi, this is… well you already know, but. Kuroo Tetsurou.”

Asahi, a little green and still unsteady on his feet, reached his hand out to shake Kuroo’s.

Kuroo extricated one arm to return the handshake. “Azumane-san! So good to meet you. I’ve heard lots about you from Daichi. Thanks for coming today so we could mess around 3 on 3.”

“No problem. And you can call me Asahi,” Asahi said meekly.

“It’s been a while since we’ve all played, so please excuse our skills if we’re rusty,” Suga cut in, rolling up his sleeves. “Come on Asahi, lovebirds, let’s go!”

Inside they found Bokuto excitedly tossing around one of the volleyballs with his professional partner, Akaashi Keiji. Leaning against one of the walls was a boy in a hunched position, his face in deep concentration buried into a handheld game console.

“I, uh, maybe I didn’t need to be here?” Asahi whispered nervously, jabbing Suga in the side. “There are 7 people!”

“Don’t worry,” Kuroo explained. “Daichi has met him already but that’s Kenma, my childhood friend. We played together in middle school. He’s a setter. He’s also knee deep in a game right now but I thought it’d be nice to have someone to keep score, and he can be subbed in at some point. He won’t want to play multiple games, so it’s perfect.”

Upon their entrance, Kuroo and Daichi did some introductions. Suga, eyes shining, shook Akaashi’s hands for a good 20 seconds. Akaashi gave a small smile and a “nice to meet you.” Bokuto skipped the handshake and went straight for a hug.

“So you’re 'mura's bestie? I’ve heard about you. Good job helping get those hopeless lovesick fools together last year. I’m sure you had some hand in it.”

Suga who had literal stars in his eyes, managed a laugh. “I suffered a little.”

“I feel your pain,” Kenma piped up quietly, eyes still glued to his screen.

“You guys did a good job,” Bokuto said, stepping out of the hug and clapping them both on the backs.

Daichi coughed, ears a little pink, as he nudged Kuroo.

“Okay, okay, let’s break it up. How should we divide up the teams?” Kuroo asked, an arm slung around Daichi’s shoulders.

The first set saw Daichi with Kuroo and Suga on one side of the net, and Asahi with the famous duo Bokuto and Akaashi on the other. “I’ll do my best,” Asahi squeaked.

“Don’t let his demeanor fool you,” Suga called out. “You’ll see when he gets into the game.”

After playing together for so many years, Suga and Daichi fell into an immediate rhythm, able to move and communicate as one on the court. Kuroo quickly adapted and began connecting fluidly with them both, blocking spikes from Asahi and Bokuto and spiking balls set by Suga.

Although Kuroo _might’ve_ gotten distracted a few times by Daichi crouching particularly deep to receive a difficult ball.

As for their opponents, Akaashi and Bokuto’s chemistry was apparent in Akaashi’s perfect sets to Bokuto. Asahi proved himself as an ace spiker in his own right, coming through to score when the other side was not expecting him.

At one point, when Bokuto spiked the ball into a wide open spot on the court, he erupted into cheers and jumped into Akaashi’s arms for a kiss.

Asahi’s mouth gaped like a fish as he stood frozen watching his current teammates and the stars of Fukurō Duo make out in front of him. (He had never quite caught onto all of the rumors, but had always enjoyed their music.) Kuroo whooped excitedly from the other side of the net, Suga squealed in surprise and delight, and Daichi smiled for his friend.

They made a few substitutions - Kenma took Suga’s place during the following set. The pudding-haired boy’s natural ability prowess at reading the opponents’ actions shone through immediately. It was as if no time had passed since Kuroo’s and Kenma’s middle school days. They had been and still were an unstoppable pair.

They also played a round where the three high school teammates Suga, Daichi, and Asahi played against the “idols” Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi.

Daichi was unfortunately a liability, continually preoccupied by the sliver of Kuroo’s stomach that peeked out when he jumped to block the ball, making it impossible to be in position to retrieve the rebound properly.

“Seriously, you’d think that these two weren’t together right now,” huffed Suga. “You guys have seriously been staring at each other nonstop! And Daichi, you are way too distracted!”

The friendly matches ended with the boys ravenous, stomachs growling. Bokuto and Akaashi ordered in a party platter for delivery while the others started toweling themselves off. The group took turns freshening up one of the many private bathrooms down the hall.

“Dai, can you stop looking so sexy when you play volleyball? You’re driving me crazy,” Kuroo grumbled through gritted teeth, as he secretly followed Daichi into an empty bathroom.

“No deal,” Daichi said, turning around to capture Kuroo in a heated kiss. “But you’re one to talk. I couldn’t stop staring at you. Suga was getting pissed at me.”

“It’s okay, he’ll get over it,” Kuroo murmured, pinching Daichi’s butt.

“Hey! What’s that for?”

“I cannot get enough of your ass in those volleyball shorts. You look so good that I need to punish you.”

“Punish _me_?” Daichi countered. “I’m gonna get you first.” He ripped Kuroo’s shirt off, dropping it into the sink, and looked at Kuroo triumphantly for a moment.

“Whoa,” Kuroo’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, until Daichi began kissing down his chest hungrily.

Kuroo groaned. “Shit, Dai. That feels so good.”

“Mmm. You taste good, Tets,” Daichi replied between kisses.

“Stop it or I’m not going to be able to go back out there,” Kuroo laughed nervously, his hands on Daichi’s shoulders but not quite able to push him away.

Daichi looked up through his eyelashes with a pleading expression.

“God you are so hot right now,” Kuroo said. “I love you so much.”

Daichi froze in mid-air. “Did you just…?”

Kuroo slapped his hand over his mouth. “Oh my god, I’m such an idiot.” A moment of silence passed. Kuroo sighed. “Sorry Dai. I have been holding onto those words for what feels like forever now. I was waiting for a more romantic setting but… it just slipped.”

Daichi erupted into giggles. “We’re… we’re,” he gasped, “in Bokuto and Akaashi’s agency’s bathroom.”

Kuroo pouted. “Well maybe you should’ve thought about it before you decided to be all hot and sexy playing volleyball, then taking off my shirt and seducing me… it’s not my fault.”

“I’m just messing with you, Tets,” Daichi said, once his laughs subsided. He cupped Kuroo’s cheek and led their mouths together for a long, sensual kiss. “I’ve been wanting to say it too. I… might’ve also been waiting for the right moment. But is there ever going to be a perfect time? Maybe after playing volleyball together like this for the first time IS the perfect time.”

“So you…?”

“I love you too, Tetsu,” Daichi finished, honest brown eyes big and wide and full of warmth. “I love you with all of my heart.”

Kuroo pulled Daichi into a bone-crushing hug. “I know it might be difficult with who I am and everything but I know we can make it work.”

Daichi leaned up and rubbed their noses together fondly. “I am confident we can and we will. There will be ups and downs but I’m committed to this. To you. Because I love you, Kuroo Tetsurou.”

“I love you too, Sawamura Daichi. So, so much.” Kuroo’s eyes shined with unshed tears.

“Close your eyes,” Daichi requested. He swept Kuroo’s hair away and kissed both eyes gently.

A knock sounded at the door. “Food’s here, lovebirds! Don’t be doing anything naughty in Fukurō Duo’s agency please!” Suga’s laugh rang out in the hallway, trailing off into the distance.

“Guess we better get back out there,” Daichi smiled sheepishly.

“Guess so,” Kuroo admitted. “But first…” he winked and grabbed Daichi’s hips and pulled them flush against himself. “Kiss me like you mean it, Dai.”

And oh, did Daichi follow through.

~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter title from "rent" again. ^^
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's read till the end here... you are the best! Sorry if the end was a little rushed... this is my very first multi-chapter fic, and I honestly haven't written all that much creatively before this, so I am tickled pink that people have read this at all (♥ω♥*)
> 
> As far as Kurodai logistics after their year abroad... Daichi is back in college in Tokyo, Kuroo is based out of Tokyo for his work in entertainment. I like to think that they somehow swung living together as "roommates" again, and am hoping that their cover doesn't get blown anytime soon. Just let them be happy! I am sure it's not very realistic that Kuroo's cover wasn't blown while he was in NY but oh well, lol. Also, Prince Waddle and the duck crew are all well. Daichi and Kuroo had a very tearful goodbye with them when they left New York (but they got to see tiny little ducklings in the spring grow up a little).
> 
> Bokuto and Akaashi play volleyball here too? Of course!! We can imagine that they bonded at the agency because they both loved volleyball in middle school... and another reason why Kuroo and Bokuto bonded so quickly too.
> 
> I finally caught up on the latest season of Haikyuu and I am going through withdrawal already. I also rewatched like every Kurodai interaction like 10 times in a row. Pls let season 5 get announced and produced and released soon!
> 
> Happy New Year! May 2021 be a better year than 2020 for everybody.
> 
> I'm not on Tumblr much but sometimes I go on in spurts.  
> main (ace attorney): milesandphoenix  
> sports anime side blog: captainthighchi


End file.
